Plastic Pollution
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The threats posed by plastic pollution are no longer a mystery. We now know how plastic debris is choking marine mammals, filling the stomachs of seabirds, and suffocating coral reefs. What we may not realize, however, is what we cannot see: microplastics.
Microplastics are the most abundant form of solid-waste pollution on Earth and are one of the most critical ocean pollution concerns of our time.
The Shaw Institute has pioneered research techniques on microplastic pollution, and, at present, is one of the only research institutes with a focused microplastics research program in Maine. We first use an instrument called a FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) to identify the polymers and study how they behave in a given substrate or even within the bodies of marine organisms.
Since human health and environmental health are intrinsically linked, we have purchased a cutting-edge analytical tool called a Pyrolysis GC/MS are to explore human tissues for the presence of microplastics as their impact within our bodies is less understood. We are looking at their effects on people battling diseases such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s disease, and cancer, while also exploring human placentas for their presence.
We can take any unknown plastic as seen with medical waste we analyze (A) and by using our new FTIR instrument (B) we can collect a spectra (C) and identify the plastic type (D).
FTIR spectra from a microplastic collected on a New Hampshire beach. The spectrum was matched to a database spectrum of polypropylene and confirmed with open-source software
PVA
Another lesser studied form of plastic pollution lies within dish and laundry detergent pods or sheets that have become extremely popular. Research led by our executive director, Dr. Charlie Rolsky, has demonstrated that only 25% of the plastic from these sheets and pods, a plastic called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), is broken down within wastewater treatment plants, while 75% remains intact within ecosystems and lands beyond. Our exploration of this new form of pollution has been featured in Forbes and the Washington Post.
The threats posed by plastic pollution are no longer a mystery. We now know how plastic debris is choking marine mammals, filling the stomachs of seabirds, and suffocating coral reefs. What we may not realize, however, is what we cannot see: microplastics.
Science
Research Staff
Charles Rolsky, Ph.D.
Executive Director & Senior Research Scientist
crolsky@shawinstitute.org
Michelle Berger, MA, GCPH
Associate Scientist
mberger@shawinstitute.org
