How micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) might be affecting human health is still unknown, and so policymakers and regulatory authorities around the world are increasingly implementing measures to address this concern.
The five projects that form CUSP – the European research cluster to understand the health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) - have now produced a first joint policy brief explaining how these initiatives have come together to translate science into policy-relevant data needed to support the health-related aims of European strategies for plastics.
The policy brief lists EU regulations, initiatives, and missions in MNP-related policy areas, such as chemicals, plastics, food, and water, to which the CUSP activities will contribute; namely, the EU’s Bioeconomy Strategy, REACH restrictions on intentionally added MNPs, and the Drinking Water Directive, among others.
Our multi-disciplinary teams across six transversal working groups are collaborating closely with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) to enhance the impact of the research, and together we are making inroads to a better understanding of exposure routes, generating new knowledge in the assessment of hazards and risks, developing new analytical tools, fostering data-sharing, performing interlaboratory comparisons, and communicating and disseminating the research results.
Access the policy brief here
How you can find out more...
If you would like to find out more about our work, download CUSP News No.3. Read about the latest research and activities of the five projects and the six CUSP transversal working groups over the past few months. This issue also includes discussions on in vivo and human biomonitoring studies, and how we are widening our network of complementary initiatives to create synergies and maximise efforts to better understand the potential impact of MNPs on human health.
