Presenting the international Programme Committee Microplastics & Health

ZonMw is pleased to present the international Programme Committee Microplastics & Health. The Committee will evaluate the 22 research proposals received in the recent call based on independent review reports and rebuttals from applicants.

The general aim of the call is to gain insight into possible health threats and the biological mechanisms that might be involved when humans are exposed to small plastic particles via oral or inhalation routes. To achieve this, applicant research groups with different expertise joined forces and plan to collaborate in multidisciplinary, often international teams.

The committee

The Microplastics & Health call covers a new area of research and the call managed to attract most Dutch scientists with expertise in this area. This meant the Programme Committee had to be based on a majority of foreign experts. Of a total of nine members, only two are based in The Netherlands, the other members join from Norway, the UK, Belgium and Germany. Chairman of the committee is Professor Aalt Bast, dean of Campus Venlo (Maastricht University). The focus of the Committee is largely toxicology and partly environmental science including microbiology. All the members of the Committee including their expertise can be found here.

More information

Photo: Chesapeake Bay Program - Will Parson