CIRI’s New Research Addresses Microplastics and Cannabis Contamination Exposure Risks

Welcome to Foresight, the monthly newsletter of the Chemical Insights Research Institute (CIRI).??

This month we are focusing on two new research initiatives regarding?emerging environmental pollution sources affecting public health. First, here are a few announcements:

Please join us on December 2, 2024, from 12 – 1 p.m. ET for our GreenCE webinar, “The Latest Science on WUI Fires and the Built Environment,” where an expert panel will explain research insights on the impact of wildfires on the indoor environment and occupant health, take attendees through a case study of the Marshall Fire’s impact on a residence in Colorado, and discuss how to navigate the needs of modern buildings. The panel includes Annette Stelmak of Inspirit-llc, Steve Kerber of the Fire Safety Research Institute, Mark Wilson of CIRI, and Christa Wright of CIRI.

Register Now!

Interested in joining our team?

CIRI has opportunities to join the research team. We are currently seeking a Research Support Specialist and Research Scientist I. We encourage you to check out our postings and apply if you think you would be a great fit!?

New Research on Emerging Environmental Pollution Sources

CIRI and partners have begun research on two new initiatives focused on emerging environmental pollution sources:

1) Naturally-sourced cannabidiol (CBD) products have been found to contain contaminants from chemicals present in the soil and used in agricultural practices; however, there are still uncertainties about?the degree of efficacy in removing contaminants from synthetically-derived CBD products. ?

2) Plastic pollution has become a global crisis, but the combined effects of plastic additives and microplastics on health across biological scales is still not well understood. ?

These two new projects seek to enhance scientific understanding of the risks associated with these environmental pollutants and develop new methodologies to best confront environmental contaminants and chemical exposure.?

Cannabis Exposure: Natural vs. Synthetic

Personal care products containing hemp-derived cannabinoids, mainly CBD,?are marketed as having many benefits, including but not limited to reduced inflammation, improved sleep, and mood enhancement. The safety of these products became a growing concern after numerous items were found to contain high levels of contaminants such as metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins; inconsistencies between labeled and actual cannabinoid forms and concentrations were also discovered. The natural source of many cannabinoids, the Cannabis sativa plant, has a tendency to absorb heavy metals from the soil, and pesticides and fungicides are used extensively in their cultivation. These combined issues have led some to suggest synthetic cannabinoids as a safer alternative; although there are synthesis methods being investigated and trialed, there are some doubts regarding the effective removal of unwanted by-products, such as THC, and potentially dangerous industry intermediates.

In partnership with Dr. Xin Hu of Emory University, this initiative will characterize the chemical profiles and bioactivities of contaminants in plant-derived CBD products compared to synthetic CBD products. This project has three main goals: ?

1) Establish a methodology, built on current ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry analytical techniques and chemical libraries, for evaluating contaminants and cannabinoids, with a special focus on chemicals with known endocrine-disrupting activity

2)?Create a computational pipeline to illustrate the chemical contaminants’ cumulative endocrine disruption

3)?Test the potential health risks of chemical contaminants and CBD products in vitro, using metabolomics as a standardized assay aligned with the endocrine activity data

Tackling the Challenge of Plastic Additives and Microplastics

Plastic additives, which can constitute a large portion of plastic polymers, are used to improve the effectiveness of plastics. The additives used for this enhancement include plasticizers, flame retardants, thermal stabilizers, lubricants, pigments, antistatic agents, and biocides. Due to leaching capabilities, plastic additives have the potential to contaminate the environment, which is best exemplified by the discovery of these additives in shellfish tissue, fish intended for human consumption, marine mammals, and seabirds. Moreover, environmental weathering causes plastic polymers to breakdown into micro- and nano-plastics, which increases their harmful effects on cells and tissues as well as the likelihood of additives leaching.?

The overarching goal of?this new research?is to understand how plastics and their associated additives affect environmental and human health.?In partnership with Dr. Jason Somarelli of Duke University, this work?aims to address how environmental conditions influence microplastics and their associated additives with three tasks:

1)?Assess methods to predict fragmentation and connect fragmentation models with additive leaching in changing particle sizes

2)?Evaluate the impacts of weathering on fragmentation and on predicted release of additives

3)?Measure the relative affinity of micro- and nano-plastics surfaces to create a model for how plastics move and behave

Researchers also seek to determine the impacts of environmentally relevant micro- and nano-plastics and additives across biological scales with two tasks:

1)?Characterize the effects of plastic additives on DNA damage

2) Determine the consequences of plastic additives on organismal function

Stay Connected

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Through partnerships and partner research initiatives, CIRI helps protect and support environmental and human health.?Stay connected for the newest updates on our emerging technology emissions research. Visit our?website?and follow us on social media for additional resources and announcements.??

Publications & Events

Recent Publications

Journal Publication?

• "The Effect of Moderate Temperature Rise on Emitted Chemicals from Modern Building Materials"

News Articles

• "How to Stay Safe from Wildfires, No Matter Where You Live"
• "Health Hazards in the Building Process"

Technical Reports?

• “A Pilot Study to Quantify Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Sources Inside and Outside Homes in Urban India”
• “Assessing the Influence of Indoor Air Filtration on the Health of Asthmatic Children in China”
• “Impact of 3D Printing on Indoor Air Quality in a University Dental School”

Technical Briefs

• “A Strategic Research Initiative on Research Data Visualization and an Online Data Portal”
• “A Strategic Research Initiative for Environmental Field Study Knowledge”
• “A Strategic Research Initiative on Microchamber Protocols for Material Changes with Extreme Heat and Moisture”
• “A Strategic Research Initiative on Chemical Analysis of WUI Fire Emissions”
• “A Strategic Research Initiative on the Cardiopulmonary Detriments of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Exposure in Firehouses”

ASID Design Brief

• "ASID Impact of Design Brief: Climate Impacts on Building Resilience & Human Health"?

Science Insights?

• “Exposure and Health Implications of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)”

Upcoming Events

• GreenCE Webinar, December 2, 2024, “The Latest Science on WUI Fires and the Built Environment”?
• Georgia State University Public Health Power Hour, December 3, 2024, “Choosing Your Own Adventure: Navigating Public Health Careers Outside of the Government”