Plastics and Health Working Group

Plastic pollution poses a critical global health challenge, infiltrating water, air, and soil with microplastics and nanoplastics that threaten human and animal health. These pollutants harbor pathogens, disrupt ecosystems, and contribute to various diseases. The problem is particularly severe in regions with inadequate waste management systems, increasing health risks for vulnerable communities.

To address this complex issue, the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health has formed a vibrant and multidisciplinary working group co-led by Amelia Meyer and Dr. Desiree LaBeaud. This group aims to identify knowledge gaps and develop evidence-based and nature-inspired solutions to mitigate the health impacts of plastic pollution—locally at Stanford, across California, and on a global scale.

Key priorities

1. Develop a Comprehensive Research Roadmap: The working group will identify knowledge gaps in plastic pollution's health impacts, design priority research questions, and create evidence-based intervention strategies.
2. Advance Interdisciplinary Solutions: The group will explore nature-based mitigation approaches, design innovative measurement and intervention techniques, and develop policy engagement tools for decision-makers.
3. Build Community and Connections: The group will foster collaboration among experts from diverse fields, engaging stakeholders from academia, industry, the community, and policy to create a robust network for addressing plastic pollution.

To address specific aspects of the plastic pollution challenge, several workstreams have been established within the working group. These include teams focusing on Behaviour Change/Social Sciences, Stanford Plastic Reduction, One Health & Chemicals of Concern, Microplastic & Health, Art & Sustainability, Indigenous Waste Practices & Health, and Plastic Measurement Device development.

Our plastics and health initiatives are translating vision into action. We are driving forward cutting-edge research to uncover how microplastics move through ecosystems and affect human health, while also creating new tools to measure exposure and risk. Beyond the lab, we are forging partnerships with Indigenous leaders, artists, and communities to bring diverse perspectives and ensure research is grounded in lived experience. We are also engaging policymakers with science-based insights to inform stronger regulations and cross-sector interventions. By combining scientific innovation, cultural collaboration, and policy engagement, these efforts are building the knowledge and momentum needed to mitigate the health impacts of plastic pollution at every scale.

The interdisciplinary team welcomes experts from all disciplines interested in contributing to solutions-oriented research that reduce plastic pollution and improve health. Regular meetings are held to review progress, refine strategies, generate community engagement, and develop compelling resources.

Watch for tips on how to reduce your daily microplastic exposure:

Analytical Measurement Methods

This figure and table summarize seven major nano- and microplastic measurement methods—highlighting key instruments, strengths and limitations, costs, and suitability across food, soil, and plant matrices. The approaches include optical microscopy, dynamic light scattering, FTIR and LDIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, GC-MS, and emerging polarization-camera technologies. A more comprehensive flow chart with expanded methodological details is forthcoming.

Working Group Structure

We meet once a month as an open, interdisciplinary group, and everyone is welcome. Our monthly themes are intentionally diverse—featuring guest artists and novelists, deep dives into microplastics research, student presentations, discussions on plastics in healthcare, technological solutions, and the impacts of microplastics on food systems and marine life, among many others.

Members

Working Group Directory 

Partners

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Medtronic, Native American Fibers Program, UC Berkeley, NRDC, Scripps, Washington Post, UC Davis, EWG, Metro Health, CLEANR, and Stanford

Interested in Joining? Contact Amelia Meyer for more information at ammeyer@stanford.edu. 

Image Credits: Muhammad Fawaid and Rich Carey

Select publications

• Savoca et al. 2025, "Monitoring plastic pollution using bioindicators: a global review and recommendations for marine environments"
• Landrigan. et al. 2025, "The Lancet Countdown on health and plastics"
• Munzël et al. 2025, "Soil and water pollution and cardiovascular disease"
• Landrigan et al. 2024, “The global plastics treaty: why is it needed?”
• Li et al. 2024, “What harmful microbes are lurking in the world’s 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste?”
• Ali et al. 2024, "The potential impacts of micro-and-nano plastics on various organ systems in humans"
• Villarrubia-Gómez et al. 2024, “Plastics pollution exacerbates the impacts of all planetary boundaries”
• Cottom et al. 2024, “A local-to-global emissions inventory of macroplastic pollution”
• Werth et al. 2024, “Baleen–Plastic Interactions Reveal High Risk to All Filter-Feeding Whales from Clogging, Ingestion, and Entanglement”
• Ong et al. 2024, "Health Care Actions for Reducing Plastic Use and Pollution"
• Kahane-Rapport et al. 2024, "Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna"
• Allouzi et al. 2021, "Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health"
• Bardales Cruz et al. 2022, "Plastic waste generation and emissions from the domestic open burning of plastic waste in Guatemala"
• Kumar et al. 2022, "Micro(nano)plastics pollution and human health: How plastics can induce carcinogenesis to humans?"
• Jung et al. 2022, “Characterization and regulation of microplastic pollution for protecting planetary and human health”
• Wang et al. 2022, "Analytical methods for microplastics in the environment: a review"
• Veidis et al. 2021, "Tackling the Ubiquity of Plastic Waste for Human and Planetary Health"
• Adyel et al. 2020, "Accumulation of plastic waste during COVID-19"