Cefic-Long Range Research (LRI) is now accepting grant applications for research on the emission factors for microplastics and to assess its environmental hazards:
LRI-ECO60 – Emission factors for microplastics to support environmental exposure modeling
LRI-ECO61 – Develop holistic approach to assess environmental hazards of microplastics to the terrestrial environment
Objectives
LRI-ECO60 – Emission factors for microplastics to support environmental exposure modeling
Develop fit for purpose EF for MP that span a range of likely professional, consumer, and industrial use scenarios which cover manufacturing, value chain, service life (e.g., washing), and/or end of life stages.
Relevant data types could include monitoring data from water, soil, sediment, product loss data, emissions from WWTPs, Municipal solid waste (MSW) leakage rates, as well as mechanistic fragmentation data that are scaled to typical use conditions. These EF can be used in combination with use tonnage information as the input to fate models to estimate PECs to support risk assessments. Therefore, the use categories of EF and tonnage inputs need to be aligned. If use-based tonnage data are not available, then direct emission rates can be derived.
This project will establish the framework and will rely on available data to derive MP EF and relevant use categories.
LRI-ECO61 – Develop holistic approach to assess environmental hazards of microplastics to the terrestrial environment
This project is looking to develop holistic approach to assess environmental hazards of microplastics to the terrestrial environment.
The project’s objectives are to:
Identify key environmental hazard endpoints, relevant species, and Mode of Action that are relevant to evaluate the impact of microplastics to the terrestrial environment within risk context, through systematically comprehensive review of existing literature. Identify appropriate methodologies to evaluate the key environmental hazard endpoints identified, through assessing the applicability and adaptability of existing terrestrial environmental hazard testing methods and framework to microplastics. Evaluate the data quality of the relevant endpoints, and recommend appropriate QA/QC criteria.
Assess effect thresholds of environmentally relevant microplastics for the terrestrial environment, using the identified appropriate methodologies on the appropriate endpoints and species identified with appropriate QA/QC. Identify and evaluate key factors influencing the environmental hazards of microplastics to the terrestrial environment, e.g. size. It is important to compare with natural particles that exist in the terrestrial environment.
Develop a framework, taking into consideration of the key environmental hazard endpoints and Mode of Action holistically, to assess environmental hazards of microplastics to the terrestrial environment, within the context of assessing risk.
Funding Information
LRI-ECO60
Budget: 300.000 Euro
Duration: 2 years
LRI-ECO61
Budget: 400.000 Euro
Duration: 3 years
Eligibility Criteria
Proposals may be submitted by any European or non-European, for-profit or non-profit organization, public or private entities, such as universities, colleges, laboratories, and contract research organizations; units of national and local governments with the necessary laboratory facilities; and research cooperatives. Collaborations between research institutions are encouraged.
LRI is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will be considered equally.
