News

A new report, published by the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC), has taken a stab at summarizing the state of applied MP science. It discusses what is known about MP sources, distribution and environmental transport, as well as techniques and best practices for sampling and analyzing MPs. The report also outlines what is known about their risk to human health and ecosystems and provides an overview of the regulatory context.  

Microplastics Fingerprinting student, Meredith Watson, was recognized as a 2023 finalist in this year’s competition for her video describing her research that analyzes the types and deposition of microplastics over the years.

Asal Jaberansari is a research associate within the Ecohydrology research group at the University of Waterloo. This lab is supervised by Dr. Phillip Van Cappellen who is the Principal Investigator on the Microplastic Fingerprinting project.

Under the Microplastics Project one of our students, Trang Le, successfully defended her Master’s thesis in December 2022. Her research explores current challenges and best practices for addressing plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and includes recommendations to help Canada reduce plastic pollution while advancing a circular economy.

Last fall, members of our research team sampled the Don River to compare microplastics sampling methods. Described as the most urban river in Canada by Canadian Geographic, the Don River passes through Toronto, flowing through a mix of urban residential, commercial, and industrial areas before it empties into Lake Ontario. This makes it a great place to sample because urban areas are major sources of microplastics.

The Microplastics (MPs) Fingerprinting project aims to understand the source, transport, and fate of microplastics at a watershed scale in order to develop risk mitigation strategies. But before we can understand the impact these contaminants have on our ecosystems, we need a methodological approach that can accurately determine the concentration of microplastics in the environment. 

Jacob de Boer knows how dangerous new chemicals can be for human health. As one of the world’s leading authorities on environmental chemistry, he’s spent over 47 years promoting responsible chemicals management in Europe and beyond.

The Microplastics Fingerprinting project team consists of over 25 faculty members, masters and PhD students, and support staff from various disciplinary backgrounds. We recognize this diversity as a strength that enables an interdisciplinary and holistic evaluation of the challenges and solutions associated with microplastics. Each issue of our newsletter will feature one of the project’s excellent researchers.

Juewen Liu, a member of the Microplastics Fingerprinting project, has found his way into the top 1% of citations for his field of study based on Clarivate Analytics’ Highly Cited Researchers™ 2022 list. The annual publication uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify individuals from across the globe who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields of research.

On November 16, 2022, the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced an investment of more than $139 million to support 176 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs across 46 institutions in Canada. The announcement was made during his remarks at the Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa, ON.

In this latest cycle, Carolyn Ren, a member of the Microplastics Fingerprinting research team, was named Canada Research Chair in Microfluidic Technologies.