Description du projet
Révéler le véritable coût de la pollution microplastique et nanoplastique
La pollution microplastique et nanoplastique (PMN) est une préoccupation de plus en plus présente parmi les problèmes environnementaux qui doivent être traités. Cependant, on sait peu de choses sur la façon dont ces plastiques affectent la santé, en particulier en début de vie et lors du développement précoce. Le projet AURORA, financé par l’UE, vise à développer un cadre pour l’évaluation des risques liés à la PMN afin d’évaluer son impact pendant la grossesse et en début de vie. Il y parviendra par le biais de tests approfondis et de données épidémiologiques afin de révéler comment l’exposition à la PMN peut affecter le développement et la santé des enfants. L’objectif final est de fournir un moyen complet d’évaluer l’impact réel de la PMN tout en informant la politique européenne et en améliorant la qualité de vie.
Objectif
The scale of micro- and nanoplastic (MNP) pollution is becoming increasingly clear yet little is known about how this pollution impacts health. The AURORA project will deliver an actionable European roadmap for early-life health risk assessment of MNPs to support regulation of MNPs and the products and processes that generate secondary MNPs, and development of safer alternatives. We will focus on MNP exposures and toxicological and health effects during pregnancy, in utero, and in early life. These periods are critical for development and health later in life and are of heightened vulnerability to environmental insults. We have recently shown that MNPs are likely to cross the placental barrier in vitro and in vivo, underlying the urgent need to understand the impact of MNPs on reproductive and early-life health. AURORA will do so by significantly enhancing exposure assessment capabilities for measuring MNPs and MNP-associated chemicals (e.g. additives) in tissues relevant for early-life development (placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, meconium, fetal tissue). It will take a unique approach by combining in-depth characterization methods (microscopy and spectroscopy) and scalable methods (mass-spectrometry) to develop methods for both detailed and large-scale toxicological, exposure assessment, and epidemiological studies. This will be combined with a novel tiered-testing approach and epidemiological investigations to provide the first extensive evaluation of maternal and fetal MNP exposures and health perturbations, including placental function, immune-inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, accelerated aging, endocrine disruption, and child development. In the course of developing and applying the tools and methodological workflows of the AURORA research program, we will create a risk assessment framework specific to MNPs and identify the remaining knowledge gaps and priorities needed for comprehensively evaluating the impact of MNPs on early-life health. AURORA is part of the European MNP cluster on human health.
Champ scientifique
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RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
3584 CX Utrecht
Pays-Bas