UWE Bristol researchers to investigate extent of microplastic crisis
See all news![Dust particles floating in a beam of sunlight.](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/microplastic-crisis-760x505.jpg?la=en&h=505&w=760&mw=847&hash=9384F23B46C70FB0156078B192FCF465)
Researchers from UWE Bristol’s Air Quality Management Resource Centre have been awarded funding for an innovative new project looking at the presence of airborne microplastics in people’s homes.
Microplastics (plastic pieces smaller than 5 millimetres) have become increasingly prevalent in the natural world. Studies show that they are not only present in oceans, but also the air, our food, drinking water and even our bodies.
Working alongside the University of Leeds, the research team at UWE Bristol will investigate the presence of airborne microplastics in people’s homes to yield new insight into where the particles come from.
The project, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), uses two different experiments to measure the tiny plastic fibres that are given off by clothes and other materials, and are present around us every day.
Citizens will place passive samplers in their homes, using low-cost microscopes to see and take pictures of their samples. They will then use machine vision approaches to characterise their own samples by size/shape/colour etc., at home.
The research team will also undertake confirmatory analyses so citizens can see what types of plastic (if any) are present in their samples, allowing the team to build an understanding of airborne microplastic generation at home.
Dr Ben Williams, Research Fellow for the Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE Bristol, said: “We’re very excited to be able to undertake this research with citizens in Bristol and Bradford. The research community is very aware of the impacts of microplastics on the marine environment but little is known about the presence, origin or potential impacts of microplastics in air.
“This study has citizens at its heart, pushing the knowledge envelope and addressing an important policy gap of this emerging field.”
Research into the health effects of breathing microplastics is still very young, but many of the particles are small enough to pass by our bodies natural defences and enter our lungs.
Dr Kirsty Pringle, research fellow in the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Research at the University of Leeds, said: “This project is particularly important to understand levels of pollution in houses because it is our homes where we tend to spend the majority of our time, so any health effects are likely to be more significant.”
“If microplastics can enter the lungs they may pose some risk to health. But we really need to understand more about what types of microplastics exist in the air in our homes before we can understand the health effects.”
UKRI has invested £1.46m across five research projects looking at important issues such as mental health, migration and airborne microplastics.
Tom Saunders, Head of Public Engagement at UKRI, said: “In the last year, science, research and innovation have become something that people talk about every day, as we have seen how research directly affects our daily lives.
“These exciting new projects will see researchers and communities collaborate on a range of issues that affect our societies, from plastic pollution to mental health, supporting people from outside of the research and innovation system to bring their unique experiences and perspectives into the research process, helping them to develop new skills and knowledge which they can use in their own lives.”
Related news
![Someone holds the world in their hands in a pool of water](/-/media/uwe/images/news/climate-theatre-project-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=671411EFE5D11C702F789A85526F61DF)
26 June 2024
Water security and climate action to be explored through theatre with communities
UWE Bristol will support an international research project that will embed theatre practice to work with less heard communities who face water insecurity.
![A photo of a sign which says general election 2024 with Big Ben in the background](/-/media/uwe/images/news/general-election-adobestock-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=32EF3AB7949BAEE17613D57B04C55384)
17 June 2024
Opinion: Stats, leaflets, and claims - how to navigate the political battlefield
As political leaflets begin to clog the letterboxes of homes across the UK, how can you discern the truth amidst the claims made by the political parties?
![Members of the Centre for Appearance Research standing for a group photo, with balloons in the background](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/car-anniversary-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=DB550ACB3604EBA25099B9C3D3944EDC)
24 May 2024
Impact of world-leading Centre for Appearance Research celebrated on 30th anniversary
It has grown from two researchers and a PhD student to become what is considered the largest research centre in the world focussed on appearance and body image. Now the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) has celebrated its 30th anniversary.
![Centre for Appearance Research logo in front of a backdrop of the city docks in Bristol](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/appearance-matters-banner-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=12AF26A023C1FCD612FF8DC455319B40)
22 May 2024
Psychology researchers set to stage world’s only international conference on appearance and body image
Researchers from UWE Bristol are getting ready to stage the world’s only international conference focused on issues around appearance and body image.
![A photographer using an old-fashioned camera to take an photo of Stonehenge, with a backdrop of a blue sky](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/stonehenge-photography-main-image-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=82D3AA342D3552BF0055E5180A7BFE8E)
22 May 2024
Academic retraces footsteps of Victorian photography pioneer behind Led Zeppelin album cover
A UWE Bristol researcher has used old-fashioned photography methods to recreate images by a Victorian photographer noted for taking an iconic photo that became a Led Zeppelin album cover.
![A choir, dressed in black, singing](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/sing-for-happiness-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=93348AAAB0FE92C6F3A08BF25933D518)
22 May 2024
Singers brought together by happiness research to take to the stage
The event is the grand finale of ground-breaking research by UWE Bristol and St George's Bristol exploring the links between singing and wellbeing.
![A sign with branding of the Future Space lab at UWE's Frenchay campus](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/future-space-expansion-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=EA4ACD0587C4C09E99C8DB97E1D4F4F4)
21 May 2024
Growth for tech innovation in Bristol as Future Space expands
UWE Bristol’s award-winning innovation centre, Future Space, has opened its doors to 10,000 square feet of brand-new office and laboratory facilities.
![A mother lies on a bed alongside her young baby](/-/media/uwe/images/news/motherhood-pandemic-adobestock-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=A5D13C5B88DEC68412A7FE9B32A3D1BD)
01 May 2024
The hidden work of new mothers exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic
New research has uncovered how the pandemic intensified and exposed the immense layers of unpaid work by mothers during maternity leave.
![Female with long fair hair with her back to camera holding a small brown dog in her arms, with the dog facing the camera over her shoulder](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/dog-theft-research-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=6B48D7A7D4C02FE382B0A4E65E6B75E4)
26 April 2024
Study reveals emotional turmoil experienced after dog theft is like that of a caregiver losing a child
A new study led by a UWE Bristol researcher has revealed that emotional turmoil experienced by dog owners after their pet has been stolen is like/ akin to that of losing a loved one such as a caregiver losing their child.
![A billboard in St Werbughs in Bristol shows children's illustrations and the words if racism vanished for day I'd wear my hair like this](/-/media/uwe/images/news/billboard-racism-vanished-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=AEF138B778B4ABA3532A6C5D2630EE94)
26 April 2024
New billboard to encourage conversations about what life might be like without racism
The billboard displays an illustration from the book ‘If Racism Vanished for a Day’, which explores the impact of racism on children's wellbeing.
![A female researcher dressed in protective clothing and safety goggles holding a pipette in a science laboratory](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/research-concordat-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=C75E382A18894215622DD829F01C0DEC)
25 April 2024
UWE Bristol among first organisations to sign agreement to reduce environmental impacts of conducting research
UWE Bristol is among the first organisations to commit to a new national voluntary agreement to progressively embed environmental sustainability into all research and innovation practices.
![Representatives from UWE Bristol join Woodland Heritage and Forest Research with PhD student Alice Dibley](/-/media/uwe/images/news/woodland-heritage-phd-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=45F19ADF3D96E7D660DDA620AEB3F667)
15 March 2024
UWE Bristol announces partnership PhD with Woodland Heritage
A Partnership PhD will research the effects of management practices on Acute Oak Decline and the rhizosphere microbiome of parkland oak trees.