Key knowledge gaps for One Health approach to mitigate nanoplastic risks

Fei Dang; Qingyu Wang; Yingnan Huang; Yujun Wang; Baoshan Xing

doi:10.1016/j.eehl.2022.02.001

Key knowledge gaps for One Health approach to mitigate nanoplastic risks

Eco Environ Health. 2022 Mar 17;1(1):11-22. doi: 10.1016/j.eehl.2022.02.001. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Fei Dang¹, Qingyu Wang^{1

2}, Yingnan Huang¹, Yujun Wang^{1

2}, Baoshan Xing³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.

Abstract

There are increasing concerns over the threat of nanoplastics to environmental and human health. However, multidisciplinary barriers persist between the communities assessing the risks to environmental and human health. As a result, the hazards and risks of nanoplastics remain uncertain. Here, we identify key knowledge gaps by evaluating the exposure of nanoplastics in the environment, assessing their bio-nano interactions, and examining their potential risks to humans and the environment. We suggest considering nanoplastics a complex and dynamic mixture of polymers, additives, and contaminants, with interconnected risks to environmental and human health. We call for comprehensive integration of One Health approach to produce robust multidisciplinary evidence to nanoplastics threats at the planetary level. Although there are many challenges, this holistic approach incorporates the relevance of environmental exposure and multi-sectoral responses, which provide the opportunity to identify the risk mitigation strategies of nanoplastics to build resilient health systems.

Keywords: Environmental exposure; Human health; Nanoplastics; One health; Risk mitigation.

Publication types

Review