Public concern about microplastics has grown rapidly in recent years, driven by scientific studies and media reports suggesting that plastic particles are now widespread, even in the air we breathe and the water we drink. But what evidence supports these claims, and what do we truly know about human exposure?

Dr Gbotemi Adediran, Lecturer in Earth Surface Geochemistry at the University of Leeds, investigates these questions using cutting-edge techniques, including synchrotron-based scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), FTIR micro-spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. He established the UK’s first correlative micro-spectroscopy platform for environmental analysis, published the first national-scale assessment of microplastics in UK drinking water, and recently published a study comparing atmospheric microplastic levels in rural and urban UK environments.

In this talk, Dr Adediran will explore the current state of microplastics and nanoplastics research with a particular focus on evidence for human exposure through air and drinking water, and on what the science can and cannot yet tell us.