Micro- and Nanoplastics, from the Atmosphere to the Alveoli and Beyond: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
On Tuesday, November 3, doctoral students from the Nexus PollHeart and ExpoZFE projects organized the symposium “Micro- and Nanoplastics: From Exposure to Human Health.”
The goal of this event was to foster the development of interdisciplinary projects aimed at deepening our understanding of the impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on human health. This objective requires bringing together the perspectives and expertise of several disciplines— chemistry, biology, modeling, and public policy— which served as the four main themes of the symposium.
Speakers from these various fields presented methods for detection, quantification, simulation, and modeling that can be used to better characterize exposure to micro- and nanoplastics and their health effects.
Organized by the doctoral students involved in the Nexus PollHeart and Expo-ZFE projects—both of which were selected in the first round of Nexus grants funded by the ExposUM Institute—this symposium also served as an opportunity to highlight the research conducted as part of these projects.
Spotlight on the Nexus Pollheart and Expo-ZFE Projects
Doctoral Nexus PollHeart
The PollHeart Project is led by three doctoral candidates: Yasmine COLOMBANI (PhyMedExp), Martin PUIG (IDESP), and Emma CENAC-MORTHE (IEM), in biology, mathematics, and chemistry, respectively.
These three dissertations explore different aspects of the effects of air pollution on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, drawing on approaches from biology, mathematics, and chemistry.
The research focuses in particular on:
- The transport and deposition of microplastics in the respiratory tract, what is eliminated or remains in the lungs, and the immune system's response.
- The effects of certain respiratory conditions, such as COPD, which may alter the way microplastics are trapped in the lungs, and whether this could be an aggravating factor.
- The development of membranes capable of capturing microplastics present in the air, both indoors and outdoors, in order to better analyze and quantify them.
Doctoral Nexus Expo ZFE
Vincent Bittoun, a public health physician, is pursuing a doctoral dissertation in the humanities and social sciences as part of the Doctoral Nexus Expo ZFE program: “Analysis of a public health and environmental policy instrument, the ZFE-m, in the metropolitan areas of Toulouse and Montpellier.”
To learn more, watch the interview with Vincent Bittoun from the 2026 Exposome Conference.