Dr Dana Kühnel works at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in the field of aquatic ecotoxicology. She researches the identification of hazards posed by engineered nanoparticles, smart materials and microplastics, with the aim to elucidate their effects on aquatic organisms, as well as to develop quality assessment criteria for exotoxicity studies and data.
Scientist: Dana Kühnel
A scientist’s opinion: Interview with Dr. Dana Kühnel about microplastic pollution
What are microplastics, where do they come from, and why are they a problem? Why are they so difficult to remove from the environment? Dana Kühnel: Microplastics are either intentionally produced or formed by degradation and fragmentation of larger plastic items (primary and secondary microplastics). They are released into the environment by uncontrolled disposal of ...
Microplastic pollution: an ever growing problem, yet knowledge gaps on impacts to human health remain
Plastic is everywhere. Adaptable, cheap and resilient, the material is ubiquitous in the modern world – and so is plastic pollution, contaminating the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil we grow our food in. Microplastic pollution is especially a problem that just keeps on getting bigger, but there are still big ...