Brigid

Plastics Europe is launching a multimillion-euro, five-year (2022-2026) scientific research project: Brigid. This project aims to assess the potential risks to human health from microplastic exposure through ingestion. Ingestion, along with inhalation, is hypothesised to be the main entrance pathway of microplastics into our bodies. Microplastic contamination is a global issue, and solutions are urgently needed. Looking forward, it is essential that any measures to tackle the microplastic issue are based on reliable science. However, scientists have not yet fully understood whether microplastic exposure has an effect on humans. Much research is ongoing, but many of the studies published thus far in the scientific literature have been conducted with unrealistic parameters – for example, a very high concentration of microplastic particles, or particles that are not representative of those commonly found around us.