On May 6, 2022, the third meeting of the Swiss community investigating micro- and nanoplastics was held in Fribourg, Switzerland. During the full-day in-person event, 23 early-career researchers were given the opportunity to present and discuss the goals, methodologies, and results of their projects on the topic with other national experts. Presentations were focused on analyzing microplastics in the environment including the abundance in freshwaters, soils, and atmospheric samples with a focus on Switzerland (FPF reported and here), the transportation of the small particles and their potential effects on the environment and organisms (FPF reported), e.g. on earthworms or fish (FPF reported), as well as experimental methodologies (FPF reported) and modeling approaches to address these research aims. The degradation processes of biodegradable plastics in soils and the influence of temperature were also shared with the community (FPF reported and here). The Food Packaging Forum (FPF) gave an introduction to the AURORA project, which is assessing early life health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics exposure (FPF reported) and was the only presentation with a focus on human health.
The annual meeting aims to bring together scientists from several Swiss research, governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations working on microplastics to share updates on ongoing projects and new findings, exchange knowledge, and promote collaboration. The next meeting is planned for March 2023.
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Kägi, R. and Filella, M. (2022). “microplastics.ch – a research network.”
