Qld research base to determine harm of microplastics to human health
Researchers at the University of Queensland have been given a boost in their quest to find out exactly how harmful microplastics are to humans with the launch of a new specialist laboratory.
“Plastic is in the environment, and it’s a very complicated situation because there are many different types of plastics, and it’s further changed in the environment through weathering,” he said. And the problem is cumulative because the plastics continue to break down into smaller and smaller particles once they are in the environment.
To achieve this, the lab does not contain much plastic at all, and is mostly stainless steel to avoid nanoparticles from the lab itself contaminating samples. The lab has been established thanks to a partnership between UQ and the Minderoo Foundation, a major philanthropic organisation founded by West Australian mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Nicola Forrest, his wife.
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