Last September 25th, the European Commission made a significant move to safeguard our environment by adopting measures that restrict the sale of intentionally added microplastics in products, in accordance with EU chemical legislation (REACH). These new regulations (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2023/2055) will prevent the release of approximately half a million tonnes of microplastics into the…
The second LabPlas field campaign in the North Sea took place between the 26th June and 1st of July of 2023. Samples between Elbe’s (Germany) and Thames’s (UK) rivers were taken for analysis of nano and microplastics and their toxicology effects and impacts on biota (Figure 1). Before and during the cruise the AIR Centre…
Plastic debris was already observed in the world’s oceans in the 1960s. From then on, the contamination of ecosystems by plastic debris started to raise concerns. Nevertheless, to this day governance has not been successful in tackling the issue of plastics. Why is that? What is holding us back to take appropriate measures? In this…
We are thrilled to share that the second General Assembly of LabPlas took place on June 27th and 28th in the beautiful city of Braga, Portugal, hosted at the impressive facilities of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL). During these two days, experts and collaborators gathered to discuss the latest advancements and breakthroughs in…
Happy World Oceans Day! Today we celebrate the important role our oceans play in our lives. Oceans are the lungs of our planet, a source of food and medicine and an integral part of the biosphere. The porpuse of this day is to raise awareness about the human impact on oceans and unite people in…
This World Environment Day in 2023 serves as a poignant reminder that each individual’s actions regarding plastic pollution have a significant impact. The collective efforts of governments and businesses in addressing this issue are a direct consequence of the actions taken by people. Now is the time to accelerate our actions and shift towards…
Biodegradable plastics are innovative materials developed for specific applications to enable a circular use of resources. In these applications, biodegradability in the intended end-of-life can help for example, to reduce the formation and release of persistent microplastics into the environment. For instance, certified compostable biowaste bags are designed to biodegrade under industrial composting conditions and…
Today, May 9th, is Europe Day, a day that celebrates peace and unity in Europe. It is a day when people come together to remember the achievements of the European Union and to reaffirm their commitment to a united Europe. This year’s Europe Day is the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, which laid the…
At SETAC Europe, LABPLAS Project partner Todd Gouin, emphasises the importance of producing high-quality data, which is necessary to better support the ability of regulators to assess the implications that plastic exposure might represent to humans and the environment
Bio-based and bio-degradable plastics are becoming more popular as a way to address environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and depletion of natural resources. Biodegradability is seen as a key property that plastics should have to reduce environmental impacts, but it is not the ultimate solution to the problem of mismanaged plastic waste.…
Today, April 22nd is International Earth Day, a date that reminds us of the importance of caring for and protecting our planet. Oceans are filled with plastics and are becoming more acidic. Extreme heat, forest fires, floods, and other climate events have affected millions of people. Even today, we are still grappling with the consequences…
Last 5th and 6th of April, a workshop about Modeling was conducted in Villefranche sur Mer. The workshop aimed to achieve two key objectives: rReview of the protocols and methods developed by Sorbonne University for in situ plastic incubations, and for laboratory experiments on particle drop rates in a settling column. Discussion about the experimental…
World Water Day is a unique opportunity for us to come together in support of water and accelerate progress in this critical area. Before….we need to know some interesting data given by the United Nations: 4 million people die annually and 74 million will have their lives shortened by diseases related to poor water, sanitation…
Just finished the second week offshore collecting microplastic samples for the North Sea Plastic project. Storms threatened some of the planned sampling stations, but researchers eventually made it to a quieter station. For some of the researchers, this was their first time at sea. Some of the techniques used included the ‘snow catcher’ and the…
The LABPLAS Project has exciting news to share: the first week of the North Sea expedition is now complete! Despite encountering some obstacles along the way, the team of eleven researchers has made progress in their objective of collecting plastic samples from different locations in the North Sea. The expedition set sail on February 4th…
From December 2022, LABPLAS is accepted as part of the EU mission “Restore our Oceans and waters” What is the mission? With a 2030 target, the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments. The…
One of our partners from LABPLAS project, the National Oceanography Centre, released a brand-new podcast three months ago with periodical updates on YouTube. Into The Blue addresses very varied topics with different guests, but always focused on ocean-related problems or the scientific career on oceanography. This time, we want to talk to you about a…
The 2nd sampling campaign was successfully completed by our German team on July 2022. At the end of June/beginning of July 2022, the second sampling campaign of LABPLAS in the Elbe River took place. The same sites as the winter campaign were sampled including the estuary (Cuxhaven), the tidal part of the Elbe (Hamburg and…
As you know, every 8th of June the United Nations promotes the celebration of the World Oceans Day, a date to remember the importance of our oceans. Their biodiversity, the source of protein for a billion people that they represent as well as their power to clean the atmosphere and provide us with 50% of…
Today, June 8th 2022, we celebrate the World Oceans Day, an important date to remind us the importance of oceans for the preservation of life. The oceans are full of biodiversity and the main protein source for over a billion people all over the Earth. They cover more than 70% of our planet, provide 50%…
In January 2022, the German team successfully completed its first sampling campaign in the Elbe river. Sampling sites Sampling sites at Elbe river basin 13: Elbe estuary (coincides with HOTMIC sampling site) 14: Central Hamburg (urban) 15: Elbstorf: Downstream tidal limit 16: Dömitz upstream tidal limit 17: Tributary: Mulde/Elbe confluence: industrial influence 18: Klöden: rural…
In January 2022, the UK team at the National Oceanography Centre successfully completed their first sampling campaign in the River Thames. Sampling sites Sampling sites at Thames river basin Lechlade (rural upper reaches) Dorchester on Thames (rural with urban influence) Upstream tidal limit (Hampton Court) Downstream tidal limit (Richmond) Central London (urban) Thames estuary Campaign…
On 30th September, the European Research Agency (REA) organised a “Cluster Meeting of Projects Contributing to the EU Plastics Strategy”. LABPLAS Coordinator Prof. Ricardo Beiras (Universidade de Vigo-Ecotox) presented LABPLAS project’s objectives, activities and expected impacts in Session 2: Tackling Plastic Pollution. Eleven other EU H2020 projects which were kick-started in the spring of 2021…
