Microplastics Turn Water Into a Reactive Chemistry Engine, Lab Study Finds
A Columbia University-led team has found that water touching microplastic surfaces can spontaneously produce hydroxyl radicals—highly reactive oxygen species capable of damaging proteins and cell membranes. The peer-reviewed paper challenges the assumption that plastic debris is chemically inert and harms health mainly through physical accumulation. The experiments were laboratory-only, not in living organisms. Core finding: … Read more