Microplastics in the Environment

Prof. Dr. Christian Laforsch, Universität Bayreuth

The ubiquitous contamination of the environment with microplastics, the associated risks to ecosystems and ultimately to human health has recently attracted a great deal of public and scientific attention. Harmful effects of microplastics on various organisms have been shown related to the ingestion of microplastic particles. However, microplastic is a hypernym of a plethora of different polymers, each having its own distinct physical and chemical properties. Hence, no general statements can be made about the effects of microplastics per se. This is even more pronounced since microplastic particles occurring in nature exhibit various chemical and physical properties. The CRC initiative on microplastics (SFB1357) aims therefore to gain a fundamental understanding of the processes and mechanisms that cause biological effects of MP in limnic and terrestrial ecosystems, that influence migration of the MP particles within and between environmental compartments and that cause the formation of MP from macroscopic plastics – each depending on the physical and chemical properties of the plastics. These findings will provide a scientifically sound basis for the evaluation of the environmental risks of MP and to develop new environmentally friendly plastics in the sense of sustainable polymer chemistry.