Micro and nanoplastics (MNP) a wish list for reliable determination of the risks for humans
- The assessment of risks to human health from micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and their associated chemicals is hampered by significant uncertainties and data gaps regarding human exposure, biological fate and potential health effects. There is also a notable lack of validated test MNPs, natural particles to serve as reference controls, and lack of harmonised toxicological assessment methods specifically designed for the unique properties of MNPs.
These limitations contribute to data scarcity and further complicate exposure and hazard assessment for MNP and their associated chemicals. The European research cluster CUSP (https://cusp-research.eu/) aims to fill these gaps by providing reliable data and suggests approaches for assessing human exposure and health risks associated with MNPs and their associated chemicals, including contaminants. As part of this initiative, five projects address the health risks of MNPs from different perspectives, focusing on different exposure pathways andThe assessment of risks to human health from micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and their associated chemicals is hampered by significant uncertainties and data gaps regarding human exposure, biological fate and potential health effects. There is also a notable lack of validated test MNPs, natural particles to serve as reference controls, and lack of harmonised toxicological assessment methods specifically designed for the unique properties of MNPs.
These limitations contribute to data scarcity and further complicate exposure and hazard assessment for MNP and their associated chemicals. The European research cluster CUSP (https://cusp-research.eu/) aims to fill these gaps by providing reliable data and suggests approaches for assessing human exposure and health risks associated with MNPs and their associated chemicals, including contaminants. As part of this initiative, five projects address the health risks of MNPs from different perspectives, focusing on different exposure pathways and health effects. In particular, the PlasticsFatE project (https://www.plasticsfate.eu/) structures the data requirements and developes strategies to overcome both general and material-specific barriers to MNP in hazard and risk assessment. Based on safety research on engineered nanomaterials, which has shown that it is impossible to experimentally test all MNP variants and their chemical mixtures, CUSP emphasises the need for pragmatic approaches. These approaches aim to effectively utilize knowledge from nanomaterial research, emphasize the reuse of generated data on fate and effects of MNPs, as well as identify and address data and knowledge gaps along with uncertainties, while considering the specific properties of MNPs and test approaches.
This poster provides a structured overview of the current challenges in the risk assessment of micro- and nanoplastics and introduces the first step of categorising the different types of obstacles. Specific strategies to overcome these different types of challenges will be presented.…


| Autor*innen: | D. Kühnel |
|---|---|
| Koautor*innen: | A. Kokalj, A. Ramsperger, D. Drobne, A. Undas, A. Potthoff, Korinna AltmannORCiD, W. Peijnenburg, N. Jeliazkova, A. Afanou, M. Löder, C. Laforsch, R. Reuther, B. Giese |
| Dokumenttyp: | Posterpräsentation |
| Veröffentlichungsform: | Präsentation |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Jahr der Erstveröffentlichung: | 2025 |
| Organisationseinheit der BAM: | 6 Materialchemie |
| 6 Materialchemie / 6.5 Synthese und Streuverfahren nanostrukturierter Materialien | |
| DDC-Klassifikation: | Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / Ingenieurwissenschaften / Sanitär- und Kommunaltechnik; Umwelttechnik |
| Freie Schlagwörter: | Microplastics; Nanoplastics |
| Themenfelder/Aktivitätsfelder der BAM: | Umwelt |
| Umwelt / Umwelt-Material-Interaktionen | |
| Veranstaltung: | SETAC Europe 2025 |
| Veranstaltungsort: | Vienna, Austria |
| Beginndatum der Veranstaltung: | 11.05.2025 |
| Enddatum der Veranstaltung: | 15.05.2025 |
| Verfügbarkeit des Dokuments: | Datei im Netzwerk der BAM verfügbar ("Closed Access") |
| Datum der Freischaltung: | 16.06.2025 |
| Referierte Publikation: | Nein |

