Plastic Rain - with Dr. Janice Brahney
Updated: Sep 11
Microplastics are filling our environment and infiltrating our bodies at an alarming rate, with serious public health implications.
In the news this week, Patti and Doug talk about new studies linking the ingestion of plastic particles with serious microbiome problems, including cancer, the rapid deployment of solar energy in the EU, reaching 25% of all power needs, and a leaked Trump administration memo showing how it plans to derail any worldwide plastic treaty in the name of national security. Then microplastic expert Dr. Janice Brahney speaks about her efforts to quantify microplastics in the rain and in the air we breathe and what it means for the future of public health.
Links from the Interview
• Short video about Dr. Brahney's research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFs8cEXAwxA
• Dr. Brahney's study on microplastics in protected areas: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaz58
Links from the News:
• Microplastics in the gut biome: https://theconversation.com/microplastics-have-been-found-to-interact-with-the-gut-microbiome-heres-what-health-effects-they-might-have-279372
• Solar energy providing 25% of the EU's energy demand: https://www.pv-tech.org/solar-pv-provides-25-of-power-generation-across-the-eu-in-june/
• The Trump Administration is undermining efforts on worldwide plastic treaty: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/08/24/leaked-memo-shows-how-us-aims-weaken-global-limits-plastic-pollution/
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