Minding the nanoplastics: bringing the worlds of environmental science and toxicology together to better understand an emerging global exposure
Huck Distinguished Lecture Series

Abstract:
Plastic materials degrade into particles that have been named microplastics (describing particles <5mm in diameter) or nanoplastics, wherein one dimension is <100nm. Most environmental research has focused on larger microplastics that are typically >5µm, largely due to limitations of technology. However, it has been known for decades that particulates that get into the human body are universally less than 500 nm in diameter. This talk will cover the recent journey to better assess nanoplastics concentrations in the human body and visually and spectroscopically confirm the types of plastic materials that survive at the nanoscale and are specific risks to human health. Of interest, the highly crystalline plastics such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene appear to create nano crystalline particles that are consistent with what is found in human tissues.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Matthew Campen is a Distinguished Professor and toxicologst at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy. He earned a BS in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and completed postdoctoral training in pulmonary physiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Campen’s research examines how complex mixtures of inhaled particles enter the body and trigger biological changes that influence respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health. By combining laboratory studies with insights from clinical and community research, his work helps explain how everyday environmental exposures can contribute to chronic diseases. His recent studies have shed light on molecular pathways linking air pollution and microplastics exposures to brain and vascular health, providing a foundation for understanding the potential health risks of these emerging pollutants.

Contact

  Andrew Patterson
  adp117@psu.edu