While plastic has transformed modern life, improving everything from food packaging to medical devices, research shows that over time, plastic waste can degrade into particles so small that they become invisible — and increasingly, unavoidable. These micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) can be found not only throughout the environment but also in the human body, raising important questions about their potential health effects.
NIEHS grantee Matthew Campen, Ph.D., from the University of New Mexico, is tackling such questions with innovative research. In a study published Feb. 3 in Nature Medicine, he used cutting-edge tools to assess MNP accumulation in human liver, kidney, and brain tissues collected postmortem….