JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging pollutants of concern with ubiquitous presence in global ecosystems. MNPs pose potential implications for human health, however, the health impacts of MNP exposures are not yet understood. Recent evidence suggests that MNPs can cross the placental barrier, underlying the urgent need to understand their impact on reproductive health and development.

Objective:

The Actionable European Roadmap for early-life Health Risk Assessment of Micro- and Nanoplastics (AURORA) project will investigate MNP exposures and their biological and health effects during pregnancy and early life, which are critical periods due to heightened vulnerability to environmental stressors. The AURORA project will enhance exposure assessment capabilities for measuring MNPs, MNP-associated chemicals, and plastic additives in human tissues, including placenta and blood.

Methods:

We will advance methods for in-depth characterisation and scalable chemical analytical strategies, enabling both high-resolution and large-scale toxicological, exposure assessment, and epidemiological studies. This will be complemented by toxicological studies using a tiered-testing approach and epidemiological investigations to evaluate associations between maternal and prenatal MNP exposures and health perturbations, such as placental function, immune-inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, accelerated aging, endocrine disruption, and child growth and development. The ultimate goal of the AURORA project is to create an MNP risk assessment framework and identify the remaining knowledge gaps and priorities needed to comprehensively assess the impact of MNPs on early-life health.

Results:

In the initial phase of this five-year project (2021–2026) progress has been made towards all objectives. Data collection for new and existing cohorts has been completed; analytical methodological protocols have been developed; and toxicological tiered assessments are underway. Results are expected to be published starting in 2025.

Conclusions:

As plastic pollution increases globally, it is imperative to understand the impact of MNPs on human health, particularly during vulnerable developmental stages such as early life. The contributions of the AURORA project will inform future risk assessment.