Plastics Research at EPA’s Pacific Ecological Systems Division: "Status Report”
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One of EPA's primary goals is to prevent pollution and reduce risk to ecosystems from pollution. Nano/microplastics, as emerging contaminants, are largely unregulated but have the potential to adversely affect organisms in virtually all environmental compartments. Tire wear particles (TWP) are now recognized as contributing significantly to pollutant loads of nano/microplastics in stormwater with significant environmental impacts. EPA’s Pacific Ecological Systems Division in Corvallis, Oregon, is conducting preliminary research to develop methods to remove TWP from stormwater via “green infrastructure” approaches. Our research in this area will help the EPA to identify optimal bioretention soil matrixes that reduce TWP transport. This effort can inform possible designs to construct and/or retrofit existing stormwater management infrastructure to significantly reduce impacts to human health, the environment, and Tribal resources. The presentation describes our approach to this research, and discusses results of literature reviews of filter methods potentially effective at capturing TWP and generating TWP for research. Our work towards development of a method for nano/microplastics extraction from soils and sediments as well as preliminary lab soil column tests will also be presented. In addition, we will explore the potential for collaborative research which members of the PNW Consortium Effects of Plastic Exposure Interest Group.