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  • Microplastic risk assessment and model development: Framework development and risk assessment model, upgrade and maintenance

    April 16, 2024

    Researchers / Institutional Affiliations

    • Framework development
      Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM; Germany)
    • Risk assessment model
      TBD
    • Risk assessment upgrade and maintenance
      TBD

    Timeline

    • Framework development: Q4 2023 to Q4 2024
    • Risk assessment model: Q2 2024 to Q4 2026
    • Risk assessment upgrade and maintenance: Q3 2025 to Q4 2026

    Additional information

    Working Package 4 (risk assessment and model development) will use data from Working Packages 2 (exposure assessment) and 3 (hazard assessment). This research is applying an innovative approach to risk assessment that combines traditional in vivo-based approach with elements from next-generation alternative techniques.

    Professional Presentations

    N/A

    Published Papers

    N/A

  • Microplastic risk assessment and model development: Hazard assessment: General, systemic, ex vivo and in vivo toxicities

    April 16, 2024

    Researchers / Institutional Affiliations

    • Cells: General toxicity
      Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO; The Netherlands)
    • Cells: Systemic toxicity
      TBD
    • Tissues: Ex vivo toxicity
      Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO; The Netherlands) The TIM Company (The Netherlands)
    • Organisms: In vivo toxicity
      TBD

    Timeline

    • Cells: General toxicity: Q1 to Q3 2025
    • Cells: Systemic toxicity: Q3 2025 to Q4 2026
    • Tissues: Ex vivo toxicity: Q4 2025 to Q1 2026
    • Organisms: In vivo toxicity: Q1 to Q2 2025

    Additional information

    Working Package 3 includes an investigation of the level of i) general toxicity in cell culture; ii) systemic toxicity in cell culture; iii) toxicity in tissues (including a gastrointestinal simulator and a liver model); and toxicity at the organism level.

    Professional Presentations

    N/A

    Published Papers

    N/A

  • Microplastic risk assessment and model development: Exposure assessment: In silico model, transfer across barriers, in vivo tracking, human stool study

    April 13, 2024

    Researchers / Institutional Affiliations

    • In silico exposure model:
      Wageningen University and Research (WUR; The Netherlands)
    • Transfer across barriers:
      Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO; The
      Netherlands)
      BASF (Germany)
    • In vivo tracking study:
      Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO; The
      Netherlands)
      Charles River Laboratories
    • Human stool study:
      Environment Agency Austria (UBA; Austria)

    Timeline

    • In silico exposure model: Q1 2022 to Q1 2026
    • Transfer across barriers: Q3 2024 to Q1 2025
    • In vivo tracking study: Q3 2024 to Q1 2025
    • Human stool study: Q3 2023 to Q1 2024

    Funding Source

    Plastics Europe, Task 2.i. co-funded by Cefic-LRI (as project B24)

    Additional information

    The objective of Working Package 2 is to confirm and track the presence of microplastics in the
    human body. There is a focus on: an in silico human exposure computer model, being built in
    collaboration with Cefic-LRI project B24; transfer across barriers, using cell-culture assays to
    establish the potential for microplastics to cross biological membranes; an in vivo tracking study
    using model organisms; and a human stool study aimed at counting and characterizing
    microplastics in human stool.

    Professional Presentations

    N/A

    Published Papers

    Nano- and microplastic PBK modeling in the context of human exposure and risk
    assessment. Wardani et al. 2024. Environment International 186: 108504.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108504.

  • Microplastic risk assessment and model development: Production and analytical models: Milling, labeling, characterization and baseline testing

    April 12, 2024

    Researchers / Institutional Affiliations

    • Milling:
      NanoFract UG, Magdeburg (Germany)
    • Labeling:
      Dow
      BASF
    • Characterization and baseline toxicity testing:
      Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek. (TNO; The Netherlands)

    Timeline

    Q2 2022 to Q3 2024 (milling, labeling and characterization),
    Q3 to Q4 2024 (baseline testing)

    Additional information

    Ingestion and inhalation are hypothesized to be the main routes of exposure of humans to microplastics. This project focuses on ingestion. Microplastics will be prepared by the micronization of commercial-grade forms of examples of each of the seven polymer types (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, (rigid)polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polyamide-6 and polyethylene terephthalate – the latter in collaboration with PETCORE Europe). Some of these microplastics will be labelled by radioisotope1 labels – specifically, carbon-14 – to better track them during exposure experiments. The microplastics will be characterized using a variety of analytical techniques.

    Further details are available here.

    1https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389423020691

    Professional Presentations:

    N/A

    Published Papers

    N/A

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