We are in the news: Twelve-year-old girl invents device to detect microplastics in the ocean

I have previously written about how food packaging, particularly plastic packaging, can affect environmental health. Solutions to this problem have been scarce, meanwhile, vast expanses of plastic waste are growing in the oceans. More recently, it has been discovered that plastic materials do not decompose, instead, they breakdown into tiny pieces called microplastics. In time, these microplastics are slowly turning the oceans into a toxic soup.

Chemicals contained in plastics may affect human health, especially in children. This is why it was so gratifying to see a 12-year-old girl's invention to help identify and visualize microplastics in the ocean. This young scientist, Anna Du, has entered her device to compete in the  2018 Discovery Education 3M Scientist Challenge. I commented on her invention for an article published in AccuWeather.com:

“I’m extremely impressed by her innovation and initiative to help solve the problem of plastics in the ocean, especially the issue of microplastics,” said children’s environmental  health scientist Dr. Luz Claudio.

“We know that exposure to chemicals in plastics can affect human health, especially in children, and I’m glad to see that children can come up with solutions to the problems that we have created,” Claudio said.

To view the full article and other articles on environmental health, go to my website: https://www.drluzclaudio.com/environmental-health.html

Dr. Luz Claudio is a Tenured Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health and the author of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper: The Step-by-Step Guide and the Spanish edition: Cómo Escribir y Publicar un Artículo Científico: La Guía Paso a Paso. She has also created the Notebook for Seminars and Lectures. In the books, she teaches young scientists how to publish their research and take effective notes. She also translates environmental health research into information that everyone can understand by publishing fact sheets on her website: DrLuzClaudio.com. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely her own and may not reflect those of her employer, colleagues or associates.