News
Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks
“What we are looking at is the biggest oil spill ever,” says Maria Westerbos, founder of the Plastic Soup Foundation, an Amsterdam-based nonprofit advocacy ...
Calls Microplastics & Health have been opened
The programme Microplastics & Health from ZonMw has opened two calls for research on the health effects of micro- and nanoplastics: one for the ...
Microplastics will still be in our cosmetics for years to come
Although research has proven that microplastics could potentially be harmful for our health, the EU ban on microplastics in make-up is still years away. ...
Quest article: How bad are microplastics for your body?
Several studies now have shown that microplastics can practically be found anywhere, including your own body. You eat them, drink them and breathe them in, ...
Documentary: Plastic Time Bomb
The American news network Newsy made a documentary about the Plastic Time Bomb. This documentary is part of the series ‘In Real Life’, which ...
Microplastics in the human body one of the 22 most amazing discoveries of 2022
National Geographic listed the 22 most amazing discoveries of the last year. Among them the discovery of microplastics in the human body. Plastic fragments ...
Modeling invisible plastics
By now, you probably know what nano- and microplastics are. Yes, very very small pieces of plastic. They are thought to originate from a variety of human ...
The plastic problem of the Biesbosch and what it means for our drinking water
One of the most unique nature reserves in the Netherlands is severely polluted with waste. The Biesbosch has seen an increase in visitors during the years ...
Car tires and plastic packaging are the biggest contributors to microplastics in the Netherlands
According to a new report from the research institute TNO, there are 291 kilotons (291 million kilos) of microplastics on the ground, in the soil and in ...
Car tires are the largest source of microplastics and they will eventually end up in the body
Although only a small amount of all the plastic that is used is found in car tires, those rubber tires are one of the main sources of microplastics. Tires ...
Interview | Microplastics seep into our water and our bodies. These products may help
Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment, but experts say we can take steps to reduce our exposure. For half a century, humans have incorporated ...
Interview Koffietijd – Plastics in your cosmetics?!
Professor Barbo Melgert was invited to talk about plastics in our cosmetics on the Dutch TV program “Koffietijd”. Can plastic particles be ...
The evidence is piling up: the plastic particles in our clothing makes us sick.
Synthetic material causes intestinal disorders and chronic pneumonias among workers of the textile industry. The evidence that the plastic particles in ...
You breathe your sweater and it’s damaging to your health: the danger of plastic microfibers
Synthetic clothes shed large amounts of microplastics, which are possibly dangerous for your health. It is documented in an overview report made up from ...
Microplastics and Health Risks: What Do We Really Know?
You eat a credit card’s worth of plastic in a week. That may bother you. But does it harm you? The answer depends on who you ask. Awareness of ...
Interview | You eat over 900 tiny pieces of plastic a day
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that pollute the air, the oceans, and the food we eat. Scientists have discovered that we carry microplastics in ...
Interview | Are we becoming plastic people?
Microplastics. They are in our beer, salt, fresh fruit and vegetables, and drinking water. We eat, according to one estimate, a credit card’s worth ...
Microplastics found in breast milk of 75 percent of new mums
Microplastics have been discovered in human breast milk for the first time, scientists have warned. Infants are especially vulnerable to chemical ...
Microplastics found in human breast milk for the first time
Researchers are concerned over potential health impacts of chemical contaminants on babies. Source: The Guardian Microplastics have been detected in human ...
Can small plastic particles end up in the placenta and how dangerous is that?
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are everywhere in our environment. Recent research shows that these tiny plastic particles end up in our lungs and blood. ...
Microplastics are found outside in nature and inside the body – but evidence of health risks is inconclusive
From the depths of the Mariana Trench to the heights of Mount Everest, tiny pieces of debris known as microplastics have permeated the globe. And they’re ...
WHO: Dietary and inhalation exposure to nano- and microplastic particles and potential implications for human health
Microplastic in the environment is an emerging contaminant that has generated intense public concern. Questions have been asked about the human health ...
How fast fashion and (recycled) polyester create the microplastics in our blood
With the help of professor Dick Vethaak, the sustainable fashion brand AYA explains how fast fashion and polyester help create the microplastics found in ...
Catching up with Juliette Legler and Dick Vethaak on microplastics and human health
The MOMENTUM project has been running for almost a year now. Where are we now and where are we heading? A lively conversation with the two project ...
An interview with Petra Krystek
Further puzzling on the roadmap of microplastics research and its impact What is your role within MOMENTUM? ‘Since the beginning of May 2022, I have ...
Babies fed with plastic bottles swallow millions of microplastics every day
Juan J. García Vallejo has just demonstrated the presence of microplastics in our body. Together with the Dutch ecotoxicologist Dick Vethaak, one of the ...
Microplastics are in our bodies. How much do they harm us?
The science is unsettled, but researchers say there is cause for concern. As plastic waste proliferates around the world, an essential question remains ...
MOMENTUM gets extra funding for research on microplastics
The Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management and Health, Welfare and Sport are providing an additional 500,000 euros for research into the effects ...
Microplastics found in human blood for first time
Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested. ...
We eat and inhale thousands of bits of plastic every year. Now what?
Scientists have found minuscule shreds of plastic everywhere – in rivers and lakes, at the bottom of the sea, on the tallest mountain on earth, blowing in ...
RECAP SYMPOSIUM: Microplastics and human health research in The Netherlands – State of the Science
This publication provides a recap of the online symposium ‘Microplastics and human health research in The Netherlands’ that was held on 4 November 2021. ...
Interview with Legler and Vethaak about microplastics on NPO Radio 1
23 November Juliette and Dick were interviewed on the Dutch Radio 1. Here they explained what micro- and nanoplastics are and what their risk factors are ...
MOMENTUM researchers at the Plastic Health Summit
On October 21st, 2021, the Plastic Health Summit of the Plastic Soup Foundation took place in Amsterdam. Several MOMENTUM researchers participated in the ...
Plastic particles harmful to health, Utrecht University leads research about the risks
Project coordinator Juliette Legler was interviewed by the Dutch RTV Utrecht last week. Here she explains what the consortium entails and why it is so important.
Plastic pollution in the air can make allergies and diabetes worse, major study finds
Plastic pollution not only poisons oceans and food chains, it can exacerbate allergies, arthritis, diabetes and COPD by causing inflammation, a major study ...
How harmful is plastic to our health?
MOMENTUM researcher Nienke Vrisekoop, UMCU, made an appearance in a video of the University of The Netherlands. In this video, she gives a mini lecture ...
Structured research into health effects of microplastics
What happens when microplastics enter the human body? Do they accumulate and does that have possible harmful consequences? The public-private consortium ...
What is the effect of microplastics and nanoplastics in the human body?
Small plastic particles are found everywhere in our environment. We ingest them through the food we eat, the water we drink or the air we breathe. What ...
Official launch of MOMENTUM consortium
The 3rd and 4th of June marked the official launch of the new MOMENTUM consortium. The launch began with a two-day online kick-off meeting brought all 28 ...
