Preventing Microplastics from Getting into Humans
Students prepare wet mount for microscope viewing.Copyright Alexandra Hofferek 2025
Students explore the environmental and human health impacts of microplastics while designing and testing their own filtration solutions. After learning about how microplastics enter the environment and human body through various pathways, potentially leading to serious health issues such as cancer, students work in teams to develop a practical solution to filter microplastics from water. Using readily available and cost-effective materials, students engage in the complete engineering design process: from initial research and brainstorming to prototyping, testing, and presenting their solutions. Students test their filters using water samples containing microplastic particles and evaluate the effectiveness of their designs through visual inspection or microscopic analysis.
Environmental engineers work to develop innovative solutions for removing microplastics from water systems to protect both human health and ecosystems. These engineers must understand how different materials and design approaches can effectively filter out particles of various sizes while maintaining water flow. Their work requires knowledge of how microplastics interact with biological systems, as these particles can disrupt cellular processes and potentially cause DNA damage. Engineers also need to consider cost-effectiveness and scalability when designing filtration systems for widespread implementation in water treatment facilities and consumer products.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain how microplastics enter and impact human biological systems and the environment.
- Use the engineering design process to design and test a filtration device to remove microplastics from water.
- Evaluate filtration methods through microscopic examination and propose design improvements based on testing results and peer feedback.