Page 19 - NovDec2023 Vol41 No5
P. 19
By Katelyn Keenehan, Asst. Editor, Teknovation.biz
Plastic for Breakfast - No Thanks!
Plastic is everywhere. Consumers or other natural factors. waterways, which pulls microplastics
cannot escape it. You wake up and “More production over the last two into the ecosystem. Other times, water
brush your teeth with a toothbrush decades obviously led to more visibility that may contain microplastics is used
made of plastic, drink from a water of plastic in the natural environment,” to water plants, or feed animals. Many
bottle created with plastic, pay for your Bathi said. “We’ve seen microplastics processed meats are then wrapped in
coffee with a swipe of plastic, write your in water and food, and now to a certain plastic before hitting store shelves.
notes with ink in plastic, type on your extent we are seeing it in animals, “It is our ultimate goal to try and find
keyboard made of plastic and eat your human tissue, and even in mother’s milk targeted treatment techniques,” Bathi
lunch wrapped in a plastic bag. We are in some cases.” said. “We want to find a nature-based
surrounded. He said the full scope of dangers solution.”
But would you ever choose to eat your surrounding the consumption of In 2022, his research team received
toothbrush? Water bottle or keyboard? microplastics is still being studied; $60,000 in funding for the study -
Probably not. however, microplastics are proven to $30,000 from the U.S. Geological
However, Dr. Jejal Reddy Bathi’s be big carriers of pollutants and toxic Survey and a $30,000 match from the
research at the University of Tennessee chemicals into the human body. University.
at Chattanooga (UTC) shows we have Bathi, alongside several students, In 2023, the team received an
all eaten plastic. In fact, he predicts we spent the last five to six years studying additional $25,000 from the U.S.
all eat a “credit card-sized amount” of two things: how to detect microplastics Environmental Protection Agency to
plastic every day. and how to treat microplastics. continue the research. Now, they hope
“If you look at the world population, “Trying to test for microplastics is to qualify for a Phase 2 grant of up to
certain places might be consuming challenging,” Bathi said. “A microplastic $100,000 to continue the research.
more. But that is a horrible amount is considered something smaller than Bathi said there are three easy ways to
that is running through the human 5 millimeters (smaller than a pencil reduce the amount of microplastics in
body in a day on average,” Bathi said. eraser). They are so tiny it’s hard to trace the ecosystem.
He is an assistant professor of Civil and them in the environment.” • Educate yourself about the dangers of
Environmental Engineering at UTC. His students are collecting samples plastic.
There are small plastic bits called from waterways across the state. Some • Avoid single-use plastics like straws,
microplastics in the foods and drinks of the samples include water from water bottles, and grocery bags.
we consume. These can come from two Warner Park, Heritage Park, and other • Dispose of any plastic products in a
sources. Primary microplastics are made creeks in the Chattanooga area. With proper way
from fibers for clothing or cosmetics. fingers crossed for additional funding,
Secondary microplastics come from Bathi hopes to progress toward testing Katelyn Keenehan's recent story in
larger plastic items such as straws, samples from the Tennessee River. Teknovation.biz touches on water quality
bottles, or caps. They are broken down Treatment is also a challenge. Storm issues that have been discussed in several
over time by sun radiation, ocean waves, runoff can go directly into streams and recent TPW issues.
BE SEEN IN TPW! There are two ways to be seen:
advertise and submit articles!
Let us hear from you!
Tennessee
Public Works
Magazine
For more information:
info@tnpublicworks.com or call 865-288-0815
View online at tnpublicworks.com 19