microplastics floating in water

The plastic crisis: What's the big deal with microplastics?

  • by Pamela Lein

Plastic waste is a growing global problem. The negative impact of plastic debris, particularly on marine ecosystems, has been appreciated for decades. But potentially, an even more significant danger is the insidious microplastic we cannot see. Plastic waste does not biodegrade, rather, it breaks down, fragmented by wind, waves, and sunlight into ever-smaller pieces.

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We’re global leaders in environmental health sciences research who aim to make a difference in the well-being of California’s diverse communities. We work with local groups and governments to identify new approaches in science and develop real-world solutions to the environment’s most challenging health problems. From innovative toxicological studies on Alzheimer’s to pioneering research on the epigenetics of autism, we’re front and center breaking new ground in understanding how the environment interacts with human health.

Brain science

Pamela Lein, PhD

 

Pamela Lein, PhD is a neurotoxicologist and developmental neurobiologist who studies the interaction between genes and environment that can lead to a variety of complex disorders from asthma to autism and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Lein’s work focuses on the way environmental stressors like pesticides and near-roadway exposures—which include car exhaust and particles from tire wear and tear—can both change the structure of nerve cells and disrupt how they communicate with each other and with other tissues throughout the body.

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