Jenna Outcalt
Staff Writer
It’s hard to have a conversation about the environment without addressing microplastics: They seem to be present in every part of life, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. However, the study of micro- and nanoplastics is relatively new and many questions still need answers, according to Terry Gordon.
Gordon will give a lecture about the health effects of plastic particles in the air at 9:15 a.m. today in the Hurlbut Church sanctuary for Chautauqua Science Group.
A research professor in the Department of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Gordon studies the health effects of inhaled particulate matter in different environments, examining factors such as rural versus urban habitat and genetic contributions.
“I could and should retire, but I said ‘If it’s impactful or fun, I’m going to keep doing it,’” Gordon explained, “and micro- and nanoplastics fit that bill. It’s fun, and it’s quite impactful.”
Concerns about plastic pollution are “obviously important to Chautauqua,” Gordon said, citing the large sculptures made from plastic waste dotting the grounds as an example. He pointed out that the presence of plastics is a large topic of conversation not just at Chautauqua, but in the scientific community right now, earning national attention and various grants to support research.
“There’s been a whole lot of reviews, and almost more reviews than scientific studies,” he said.
Gordon and his colleagues received a grant to study how much plastic gets into the body, what tissues it lands in and what it does transgenerationally when it is absorbed during pregnancy. He explained that because of the field’s novelty, key questions about plastic particles and their environmental concentrations remain.
“There are particles in everybody, but the health effects are unclear at this point,” Gordon said.
According to Gordon, the future of studying plastics will have to involve moving beyond the lab to see the practical effects of plastics in the environment.
“Everyone’s going to be studying raw particles, but the question is, is that realistic?” he asked. “Is that like the environment, where particles in the water or in the air have been aged and subjected to UV light, wind, sand and rain?”
Although environmental policy is a large topic of debate, Gordon plans to focus on the scientific side of the conversation
about microplastics.
“I’m going to try and present what really is known so far about how much plastic is in us, what its sources are and the health effects,” he said.
