UBC’s Cluster for Microplastics, Health and the Environment brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars aiming to support the development of informed policies regarding microplastics pollution.
The team will address a series of current knowledge gaps related to microplastics (MPs), namely: expand and develop consistent MPs monitoring in stormwater, surface runoff and agricultural soils; develop standardized methods for sampling, quantifying and characterizing MPs; further the understanding on ecotoxicological effects of MPs; identify pathways of human exposure to MPs; investigate the effects of MPs on health; and explore the microbial degradation of MPs in the ocean.
We envision to advance MPs knowledge by building MPs transportation, degradation and fate lifecycle models, as well as assembling multidisciplinary experts and end-users to help inform the development of risk assessment-based models and guide policy-making decisions with immediate and long-term benefits to Canada and worldwide.
