Influence of Microplastics on Environmental and Human Health: Key Considerations and Future Perspectives

Microplastics have received increased attention in the research world over the last ten years. A number of significant publications by the World Health Organisation, European Union, SAPEA, and GESAMP have highlighted this growing environmental and health emergency.

This book provides an accessible introduction to the microplastic problem and details its potential impact both on nature and human health. Filled with the latest developments in the field, it attempts to address the gaps in our knowledge of microplastics and also proposes additional areas of research and impact to be considered to resolve this crisis.

It will be of interest to researchers and academics working in the areas of microplastic pollution, microplastic detection, and the impact of microplastics on environmental and human health. It will also be of use to undergraduate students of environmental programmes, analytical programmes, and public health programmes.

Key Features:

• Chapters describe the impact of our reliance on plastics in certain sectors and how they relate to microplastic pollution
• Investigates emerging solutions to the microplastic pollution
• Presents a multi-disciplinary perspective, covering topics such as analytical techniques, quantitative techniques, environmental monitoring, and human health monitoring

Dr. Yvonne Lang is a lecturer in chemistry at the Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland. She obtained her PhD from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2014. Her doctoral research investigated the use of diatoms to fabricate polymeric structures with a defined geometry. Work emanating from this research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at several key international conferences. Yvonne’s postdoctoral research focussed on varying aspects of nanoparticles including: investigation of both therapeutic and environmental applications of nanoparticles; quantification of nanoparticles in biological samples; and exploration of bioremediation approaches to detect and capture nanoparticles in environmental samples. She is a member of both the Nanotechnology and Bio-Engineering Research Division and the Centre for Environmental Research, Innovation and Sustainability at IT Sligo.