Health Effects of Microplastics Update in Waynesville, NC

Dr. Christine Mauck, MD, will present on “The Health Effects on Microplastics”, followed by an update on concrete actions being taken in the region to decrease plastic waste by host nonprofits Environmental Action Communities and MountainTrue.

Over 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. An estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic litter end up in the environment every year (International Union for Conservation of Nature, https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/plastic-pollution#3841).

An ongoing study led by a Western Carolina University professor found microplastics even in remote waterways of Haywood County (https://cwfnc.org/microplastics-found-even-in-remote-areas-of-nc-in-wcu-study/). New studies continue to discover the presence of microplastics and explore the effects on both humans and the rest of the environment.

Dr. Mauck will speak at 6:30pm on August 27 at Grace Church in the Mountains, Waynesville. Kip Sutton, executive director of EAC, and Linda Tatsapaugh, Organizing Director of MountainTrue, will follow with information on projects and opportunities for volunteers. The lecture is free and open to the public.