Local Solutions to a Global Problem: Microplastics in North Carolina

January 29-30, 2025

NC Biotech Center, RTP, NC

Background:

Plastics are complex set of materials with over thousands of different polymer formulations that also incorporate a large variety of chemical processing aids and additives. Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 µm that originate either from intentional manufacturing at that size (primary microplastics: personal care products, paints, gitter, etc.) or from the fragmentation of larger plastics in use or after disposal (secondary microplastics). Microplastics are ubiquitous contaminants in the environment, existing in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, in the atmosphere, and even in our drinking water and food. The recent discovery of microplastics in various biological systems, including human samples, raises critical questions about long-term effects in ecosystem health and human well-being. As a result of the exponential rise in plastic and microplastic pollution, the United Nations is creating a Global Plastics Treaty with the goal of creating a legally binding agreement aiming towards ending plastic pollution and protecting human and environmental health.

In this two-day meeting, we will explore the current state of knowledge regarding the source and fate of microplastics, with a focus on environmental and human health impacts in North Carolina. The meeting will address emerging solutions and policy approaches, from identifying gaps in current research, innovative approaches to reduce plastic waste, and policy options that could reduce plastic pollution in our state. This meeting aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to address rising concerns of microplastics, highlighting the need for further research, innovation, and action in North Carolina.

Questions we aim to answer:
1) How might we integrate microplastics considerations into research in NC?
2) How might we change manufacturing and procurement processes to reduce microplastics now?
3) How might research on microplastics inform better policies?

Summit Goals:
To highlight recent research in Microplastic and Plastic Pollution and highlight actionable steps North Carolina can take to address these problems.

January 29, 2025

8:30-9:00am
Onsite Registration & Light Breakfast

9:00-9:15am
Welcoming Comments: Keith Levine, Vice President of Discovery Sciences at RTI International

9:15-9:35am
Framing Circularity in the Plastics Landscape – Lashanda Korley, Director of Center for Plastics Innovation, University of Delaware

9:35 -9:55am
The Big Picture on Plastic: U.S. Challenges and Pathways Forward – Danielle Holly, North American Lead, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

9:55-10:15am
State of Plastics Recycling in North Carolina – Sandy Skolochenko, Community Development Specialist, NC DEQ

10:15-10:45am
Q&A with Moderator- Verone Bernard, Urban Resilience Manager, RTI International

10:45-11am
Break

Session 1: Source, Identification, and Fate

11-11:30am

Breaking Down the Breakdown: What Are Micro and Nano Plastics? – Leah Johnson, Senior Director of Biomedical Technologies at RTI International

11:30-11:50am Plastic Pollution and Circularity: The State of the Science, Tools for Communities, and Future Directions – Taylor Maddalene, Director of Circularity Assessment Protocol, University of Georgia 

11:50-12:10pm
Tracing the Flow: Microplastic Distribution in the Neuse – Jack Kurki-Fox, Research Scholar, NC State University

12:10-12:40pm
Open Discussion Q&A Panel with Moderator – James Harrington, Fellow, Analytic Sciences, RTI International

12:40-2:00pm
Lunch

Session 2: Environmental and Human Health Impacts/Justice

2-2:30pm
Contextualizing the Persistence and Pervasiveness of Microplastics from a Human Health Lens – Imari Walker-Franklin, Research Natural Scientist, RTI International

2:30-2:50pm
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Food: Regulatory Science Perspectives – Stacey Wiggins, Senior Advisor for Division of Seafood Safety, US FDA

2:50-3:10pm
Polystyrene Microplastics Induce Genomic Alterations and Impaired Migration in Human Placental Cells: Implications for Maternal and Fetal Health – Hadley Hartwell, Laboratory and Research Project Manager, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3:10-3:30pm
The Death Cycle of Microplastics – Environmental Justice of a Ubiquitous Contaminant – Chris Hawn, Director of Research and Education, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network

3:30-4:00pm
Open Discussion Q&A Panel with Moderator – James Harrington, Fellow, Analytic Sciences, RTI International

4:00-4:20pm
Closing Remarks – James Harrington, Fellow, Analytic Sciences, RTI International

4:30pm
End of Day

January 30, 2025

8:30-8:45am
Light Breakfast

Session 3: Solutions: Technology, Regulatory, and Infrastructure

9:00-9:15am
Welcoming Comments – Tracey Dombek, Research Chemist, RTI International

9:15-10:00am
Fireside Chat: Microplastics Research Needs Within and Beyond North Carolina – Barbara Doll, Associate Extension Professor; NC State University; Taylor Maddalene, Director of Circularity Assessment Protocol, University of Georgia; Stacey Wiggins, Senior Advisor for Division of Seafood Safety, US FDA; Moderators: Leah Johnson and Imari Walker-Franklin, RTI International

10:00-10:15am
Break

10:15-10:45am
Turning the Tide: Industry Solutions to Reducing Plastic Waste – Jamie Pero Parker, Sustainability Lead, Innovation Advisors, RTI International

10:45-11:30am
Fireside Chat: Industries Efforts to Address Microplastics – Mark Agerton, Group Scientist, Proctor & Gamble; Amit Lamaye, Director, Sustainable Medical Technology Institute (SMTI) Enterprise R&D Becton Dickinson & Company; Zach Muscato, Sustainability Leader, Plastic Ingenuity; Moderator: Jamie Pero Parker, RTI International

11:30-12:00pm
From Global to Local (NC): Policies to Address Plastic and Microplastic Pollution – Michelle Nowlin, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Co-Director, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Duke University School of Law

12:00-12:45pm
Lunch

12:45-1:30pm
Fireside Chat – Government’s Role in Addressing Microplastics – Scott Cassel, CEO and Founder, Products Stewardship Institute; Madison Haley, Climate and Plastics Advocacy Fellow, Haw River Assembly; Romell Nandi, Trash Free Waters National Program Lead, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, US EPA; Michelle Nowlin, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Co-Director, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Duke University School of Law; Suzanne VanDrunick, National Program Director for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources, US EPA; Moderator: Keith Weitz, Sustainability and Environmental Program Director, RTI International

1:30-2:30pm
Concurrent facilitated break-out sessions – RTI International Moderators: Verone Bernard, Urban Resilience Manager; Edgard Ngaboyamahima, Operational Excellence Lead; Jamie Pero Parker, Sustainability Lead, Innovation Advisors; Cary Strickland, Director Strategy and Innovation

2:30-2:50pm
Break

2:50-3:50pm
Concurrent Facilitated Break-out Sessions: A Blueprint for Action In North Carolina – RTI International Moderators: Verone Bernard, Urban Resilience Manager; Edgard Ngaboyamahima, Operational Excellence Lead; Jamie Pero Parker, Sustainability Lead, Innovation Advisors; Cary Strickland, Director Strategy and Innovation

3:50-4:20pm
Group Sharing and Summary of Brainstorming Sessions
RTI International Moderators: Verone Bernard, Urban Resilience Manager; Edgard Ngaboyamahima, Operational Excellence Lead; Jamie Pero Parker, Sustainability Lead, Innovation Advisors; Cary Strickland, Director Strategy and Innovation

4:20-4:30pm
Concluding Remarks – Tracey Dombek, Research Chemist, RTI International

4:30pm
End of Day