US invests US$144M to measure microplastics health risks and remove them from body

A US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agency has launched a nationwide US$144 million microplastics research program. It aims to create a toolbox for measuring, researching, and affordably removing microplastics and nanoplastics from the human body. 

The STOMP program (Systematic Targeting Of MicroPlastics) from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will uncover how microplastics from food, air, and water build up in the body and protect people from their potential health impact. 

“HHS is taking decisive action to confront microplastics as a growing threat to human health,” says HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“Americans deserve clear answers about how microplastics in their bodies affect their health. Through ARPA-H’s STOMP program, we will measure microplastic exposure, identify sources of risk, and develop targeted solutions to reduce it.”

STOMP seeks proposals in two main technical areas: microplastic measurements and understanding of biological mechanisms. ARPA-H encourages multidisciplinary teams with a range of technical expertise to submit their proposals to the program to help reach its goals.

Solution summaries are due on May 6, with full proposals due on June 22.

Knowledge gaps

ARPA-H notes that researchers have detected microplastics in lungs, arterial plaques, and the brain. Animal studies demonstrate that this causes disease. Human data show a high correlation between microplastics and disease.

Researchers recently found that microplastics can change the human gut microbiome, causing shifts that mirror patterns seen in depression and colorectal cancer. Earlier this year, Nutrition Insight spoke with research experts, revealing that low-dose nanoplastics altered gut and liver function in mice.

However, ARPA-H highlights various knowledge gaps: “We don’t have a precise way to measure microplastics in our organs, nor do we understand which ones are affecting us in what ways — because each plastic works differently.”

Research indicates that packaging is a significant source of micro- and nanoplastics in food, which harm human health.The agency cautions that it cannot remove what can’t be measured, nor can scientists develop interventions that are precise, safe, and effective for impacts that are not understood.

“Microplastics are in every organ we look at — in ourselves and in our children. But we don’t know which ones are harmful or how to remove them,” reiterates Alicia Jackson, Ph.D., ARPA-H director. “Nobody wants unknown particles accumulating in their body. The field is working in the dark. STOMP is turning on the lights.”

The Food Packaging Forum cautioned last year that food packaging is a significant source of micro- and nanoplastics in food. Researchers note that these plastic particles harm human health. Moreover, scientists uncovered microplastics in glass bottles, originating from their caps, and in tea bags.

Measuring microplastics

The STOMP program is led by program managers Dr. Ileana Hancu and Dr. Shannon Greene. It will design tools to be fast, affordable, and broadly available, aiming for a foundation that protects everyone. The program aims to help lower the potential downstream costs that microplastic-related disease could otherwise impose on the health care system.

Across two phases, STOMP will focus on three technical areas: measurement and mechanism (phase one) and removal (phase two).

“A key first step is to measure microplastics accurately and understand how they reach different organ systems,” says Hancu. “We must establish a solid, shared foundation for precise measurement and mapping.”

In the first phase, the program will design experiments to understand microplastics within the human body. The team also aims to develop gold-standard microplastics measurement methods, such as a clinical test to quantify individual microplastic burden, making monitoring and intervention possible at scale.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be an independent validator for the methods developed. ARPA-H cautions that stakeholders do not agree on the extent of microplastic accumulation because measurement techniques are insufficient, thus resulting in inconsistent results across labs.

STOMP aims to develop technologies for microplastic removal that enable individuals and health care providers to detect and reduce them.The program will produce a risk stratification mechanism for plastic materials that ranks them by biological harm. This will enable scientists, policymakers, and industry to have a common answer on which microplastics should be addressed most urgently and how.

Removal tools

In phase two, STOMP will focus on removal with technologies that enable individuals and health care providers to detect and reduce potentially harmful microplastics.

These tools will build on the measurement phase. Microplastics differ in where they accumulate in the body, which cellular barriers they can cross, and which biological pathways they disrupt.

Therefore, ARPA-H highlights the importance of knowing which types of microplastics cause the most harm, where they concentrate, and how they move through the body to design precise, safe, and effective interventions. These approaches will also build on pharmaceutical biology and bioremediation science.

“It’s physically impossible for us to completely divorce our lives from plastics. They are in everything we touch — our clothes, the materials from which we get our food and water,” cautions program manager Greene.

“We need to understand how microplastics are distributed throughout the body and what harm they are causing before we can take the next leap forward to ultimately remove them and improve human health.”

The resulting tools will particularly benefit vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, children, patients with chronic disease, and highly exposed workers.

“With reliable, broadly available testing methods, public health authorities, regulators, and health stakeholders could guide policy, monitor interventions, and address health impacts for decades to come,” expects ARPA-H.