Each year, over 2.2 billion tons of plastic are discarded, with a significant portion ending up in our oceans. Plastic debris harms life through entanglement and ingestion, posing a threat to entire ecosystems and human health.

Yet despite the staggering volume of debris produced annually and the clear environmental and human health impacts, plastic waste continues to accumulate. There is an urgent need to develop novel strategies to combat bioaccumulation of plastics.

Building on the work of previous teams, this project team worked in three subteams to address the threat of plastic pollution:

1. The Bioremediation subteam worked to optimize its newly generated microbial systems for plastic degradation, creating strains that are heat-stable and more efficient.
2. The Health subteam investigated the harmful effects of plastics and plastic additives on human cellular health.
3. The Policy subteam worked to raise public awareness about plastic pollution and the potential of bioremediation strategies.

Learn more about this team’s work by reading their team profile.

Timing

Summer 2023 – Summer 2024

Team Outputs

Using Microbes to Fight Plastic Pollution (Team profile; 2024 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase)

Student Story: Alexander Hong

Plastic Pollution: Health Impacts and Bioremediation Solutions (Poster presented at Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 17, 2024)

Alexander Hong, Serafina Turner, Rita Glazer, Zachary A. Weishampel, Atharva Vispute, Ashley Huang, Zachary A. Holmes, Beatrice Schleupner, Meagan M. Dunphy-Daly, William C. Eward, Jason A. Somarelli. A Sequence- and Structure-Based Characterization of Microbial Enzymes Identifies P. stutzeri as a Plastic-Degrading Species. 2024.

Sophia Vincoff, Beatrice Schleupner, Jasmine Santos, Margaret Morrison, Newland Zhang, Meagan M. Dunphy-Daly, William C. Eward, Andrew J. Armstrong, Zoie Diana, Jason A. Somarelli. Toxicogenomic Analysis of the Carcinogenic Potential of Plastic Additives. 2023.

This Team in the News

Bacteria vs. Plastic

See related teams, Bioremediation of Plastic Pollution to Conserve Biodiversity (2024-2025) and Bioremediation of Plastic Pollution to Conserve Biodiversity (2022-2023).