Project Background

 Research Question: Do plastic products containing BPA leech chemicals when subjected to direct sunlight?

Hypothesis: Plastics exposed by irradiation will leach chemicals at a higher rate than non-exposed plastics.

                Plastics made with Bisphenol A (BPA) have been linked to adverse health risks in humans and reproductive issues in animals. Research has shown certain plastics can leach chemicals which pass through to animals and humans alike. Plastics can leach chemicals through increased usage, Ultraviolet radiation, and elevated temperature. An experiment will be done to test whether plastic products leak BPA by placing products in direct sunlight. The same products will be placed in an area not exposed to sunlight to determine if direct sunlight and UV radiation have an adverse effect on chemical leaching. A test will be run on a product labeled “BPA Free” as a control. Data will be compiled and used to support the hypothesis that plastics exposed by irradiation will leach chemicals at a higher rate than non-exposed plastics.

                One factor that can cause plastics to break down and cause chemical leaching is Ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet wavelengths occur between 100-400 nanometers and cannot be seen by the naked eye. These UV rays cause many plastics to break down into smaller nano and microplastics. As plastics break into smaller pieces, they become ingested by animals (Taipale et al., 2019) and humans. Microplastics have even made their way to bottled drinking water (Mason et al., 0001). The concern with microplastic ingestion is the ability for these chemicals to cause cardiovascular related health problems including angina, hypertension, and heart attack (Gao & Wang, 2014).

                BPA can be found in plastic products marked with a 7 but have also been found in products marked 1, 2 and 5 which traditionally do not contain BPA (Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel). Products marketed “microwave safe” were found to leach the toxic chemical when exposed to high temperatures. “Highest amounts of leaching were found in two items: a can of Enfamil liquid infant formula and a Rubbermaid plastic food-storage container. The lowest levels, trace amounts, were found to be leaching from disposable frozen-food containers.” (Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel). While most of these containers are safe from melting in the microwave, they are not safe from chemical leaching.

                BPA is still used today in several consumer products including food packages, lining of cans and water bottles. In past research, I’ve found single-use plastics and cans littered throughout the Tres Rios. The chemical leaching of these products poses a threat to the ecosystem and food web. UV radiation increases the rate at which these products leach chemicals and break down into smaller microplastics. More research is required to determine how detrimental these chemicals are/will be on animals and humans.

This project requires quite a bit of digging to figure out what products have BPA and which do not. Photo credit: https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/opmrdd/health/bpa.html

Testing BPA Free Products

 Hi All!

I finally feel like I'm getting a better understanding of my project this semester! I've been a little stressed about narrowing my research down to a specific topic. I've found some research on products labeled "BPA Free" still containing BPA. Some of the products being touted as "BPA Free" still contain some form of Bisphenol which seems like it defeats the purpose of making a "BPA Free" product. I'm going to test products that are labeled "BPA Free" by placing the item in just-boiled water for 5 minutes, swab the item with a swab that has been dipped in alcohol, place swab in indicator, and measure results. I suspect temperature will affect leeching of chemicals in each product. Looking forward to what the results will be!

Procedure to test for BPA:

Plastics and our health

 Hi All-

I've been taking some time this week to delve a little deeper on chemical leeching in plastics and what that could potentially mean for humans. My research question is broad so I feel like as I continue to read and go over more material, I'll begin to develop a more specific research question. I've found some information on BPS (Bisphenol S), the product that companies use in place of BPA (Bisphenol A), and the potential side effects. BPS was found to affect heart function in mice within minutes of exposure. This could be especially concerning for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. The FDA has banned the use of BPA in infant products like bottles and containers, but has approved its use in food containers and water bottles to date. 

PSA: Some safer alternatives to plastics are glass containers, cloth and paper bags.

Fall 2021-Project Background

I’d like to continue researching the effects on plastic in the environment. Last semester, I spent time in the field researching types of waste found in local waterways. Most samples collected were single-use plastics. Research has shown certain plastics can leach chemicals which can pass to animals and humans alike. An experiment was conducted on the effects of BPA in laboratory animals and found evidence that BPA affected reproduction in lab animals. Several other experiments have been done with BPA and its effect on brain development, cardiovascular problems, and body weight issues.

BPA is still used today in several consumer products including food packages, lining of cans and water bottles. In past research, I’ve found single-use plastics and cans littered throughout the Tres Rios. The chemical leaching of these products poses a threat to the ecosystem and food web. UV radiation increases the rate at which these products leach chemicals and break down into smaller microplastics. More research is required to determine how detrimental these chemicals are/will be on animals and humans.

I plan to research this topic through peer reviewed articles and testing/experiments conducted on laboratory animals. I anticipate finding a lot of research on the effects of chemical leaching products and how it impacts animals and humans.

Research Question: How do single-use plastics effect the environment?

Hypothesis: Single-use plastics leach chemicals contaminating the ecosystem and polluting the food web.

Image: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-021-13184-2

Plastics-BPA edition

 Hi All!

I feel like I'm starting to circle around a research topic. I'm interested in the effects plastic has on our health and have been researching several topics. BPA has received attention over it use in plastic bottles and food packaging. BPA has been banned in baby bottles but continues to be used in items like food packaging and coating in metal cans. The chemicals in BPA have been found to affect reproductive systems of laboratory animals. The CDC has found BPA in urine samples from humans but research is limited on whether or not human reproduction is affected. Based on the most recent assessment, the FDA has determined BPA is safe at the occurring levels of food contact (https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-application).

I've also began looking at microplastics in bottled water but need to locate more peer reviewed research...

Microplastics in the environment

Hi All-

Hope the semester is going great for everyone! It’s been fairly stressful and a lot of work in each of my classes so far. I started reviewing articles on the effects of plastics on ocean life. Plastic never fully decomposes in the environment. It continues to break d own into smaller pieces called mircoplastics and then further into nanoplastics. These pieces get ingested by marine life and can kill/harm animals and the ecosystem in which they live. 

I’m also curious to the effects of microplastics on humans and if/how the plastic from ocean/river is transferred through the food web. 

The size of microplastics:

First Week of Fall 2021 Semester

 Hey All,

The first week back has been a bit hectic! This is my last semester at Phoenix College! I will be transferring to ASU West for the Spring 2022 semester and hopefully continuing with the TRAIN program at ASU. 

For this semester, I want to continue my research with plastics and the environment. Last semester, I had the opportunity to do hands on research and gather data on the types of waste present in Phoenix waterways. Knowing that plastics were the primary offender, I'd like to delve deeper into how plastics effect the environment. The area in which I did my research is a recreation area and allows for fishing, kayaking, and biking. The potential damage the waste may cause on the ecosystem could have multiple risk factors and I'd be interested studying the long term effects.

Research Presentation

Hey All-

What a semester! Grateful I passed my classes, grateful for the STEM-TRAIN program, and grateful for summer break! I enjoyed seeing and hearing everyone present their research this semester! There was such a wide range of topics, it was great getting to learn more about Covid, Bats, Bees, the Microbiome group, NASA ascend, and statistical analysis of charitable donations.

Below is my research presentation on "Litter in Phoenix Waterways". I'm glad I had the opportunity to study the effect plastics have on the environment. It's a project I would like to continue into the next semester and potentially as a career. I hope everyone has a great summer! See you next semester!

Final Research Paper!

 Hey All!

What a semester! Working on this project has been great! I've had the opportunity to change my waste footprint and learn more about environmental pollution. I feel like I've only scratched the surface with the amount of research and data I've collected but it feels great to work towards change that is tangible. In the process of researching plastic pollution, I also discovered a process called pyrolysis which is the thermal degradation of organic materials in the absence of oxygen. It can be used in the conversion of non-recyclable plastics into clean energy (Zafar, 2020). Hopefully we continue to find new ways to recycle, reuse or reduce our waste footprint to provide a cleaner future. The photo below is the pyrolysis process.

Congrats to everyone on finishing their research!

Souce: https://www.bioenergyconsult.com/pyrolysis-of-municipal-waste/

Nearing the end of the semester!

 Hello All-

It's almost the end of the semester! My classes this semester have been a little more challenging than previous semesters. I changed my major a few times and once I settled on Science, I had some additional classes that needed to be taken. This semester I had Physics 111, Biology 182 and Chemistry 152 so it's felt like a heavy semester. 

This week I've been trying to decide how to plot the data for my final research project. I have the numbers and information from the data I collected over the semester and after speaking with Matt, I think the best way to show the data is through Bar Graphs or potentially Pie Charts. I'm really glad I get the opportunity to look at tangible data that I've collected myself and use this to continue my project next semester.

Masks left on Mission Beach, CA

Mission Beach, CA

Second Visit to Tres Rios

 Hey All-

Hope everyone is having a productive week! I can't believe the semester is almost over! 

I went back to the Tres Rios again to do a more research. A majority of trash that was collected was plastics and aluminum cans. There were quite a few people fishing nearby with coolers so it feels safe to assume the aluminum beer cans were brought in by people. As I've collected data and spent time at the river, I've began to see how its possible that trash isn't necessarily dumped in the river, but left near it and ends up making its way into the river. 

Most of the plastics are one time use plastic bottles that will eventually break down into smaller, microplastics through Ultraviolet light. These microplastics are roughly 5mm in length and become increasingly difficult to capture. Prevention is key!

Sample size of a microplastic:

Photo Credit: https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/microplastics-small-plastics-big-problem/