Rutgers Center for Environmental Exposures & Disease

Our mission is to address the environmental health concerns of all New Jersey residents by centering our efforts on its most affected populations. We engage community members, organizations, and agencies as advisors and partners through all stages of our research, provide critical investment and infrastructure for multidisciplinary collaborative research, and train the next generation of environmental health scientists.

Understanding Plastic Pollution and its Potential Impacts on Human Health

This conference will bring state-of-the-art knowledge and perspectives on the growing concerns about plastic-related pollutants in the global environment and our bodies. Leading scientists, environmental health advocates, regulators, affected community members, and decision-makers will address questions about human exposure to plastic pollution and its impacts on health, focusing on vulnerable populations. From the initial stages of petrochemical extraction and refining, through production and use, to ultimate disposal, plastics pose diverse risks to human well-being. We will uncover the various impacts of plastic use along its lifecycle, from air and water pollutant emissions during plastic production and manufacturing to the emerging issue of pervasive micro- and nano-plastic contamination in air, water, and food. By taking a comprehensive lifecycle approach, we aim to deepen our understanding of the potential impacts of plastic on health and inform solutions to protect public health in an increasingly plastic-filled world.

Thank you for Attending October 18, 2024

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CEED & the Community

The overarching goal of the CEED Community Engagement Core (CEC) is to support the strategic vision of CEED to address the environmental health concerns of all NJ residents by centering our efforts on its most affected populations. To address the environmental health concerns of New Jersey residents, our Community Engagement Core works with communities and researchers to characterize the health risks that people face in their daily lives, translate existing research evidence to action to reduce exposure and risks, and identify new research directions that are aligned with community environmental health needs.

This conference will bring state-of-the-art knowledge and perspectives on the growing concerns about plastic-related pollutants in the global environment and our bodies. Leading scientists, environmental health advocates, regulators, affected community members, and decision-makers will address questions about human exposure to plastic pollution and its impacts on health, focusing on vulnerable populations. From the initial stages of petrochemical extraction and refining, through production and use, to ultimate disposal, plastics pose diverse risks to human well-being. We will uncover the various impacts of plastic use along its lifecycle, from air and water pollutant emissions during plastic production and manufacturing to the emerging issue of pervasive micro- and nano-plastic contamination in air, water, and food. By taking a comprehensive lifecycle approach, we aim to deepen our understanding of the potential impacts of plastic on health and inform solutions to protect public health in an increasingly plastic-filled world.

Center Cores

The Pilot Project Program (PPP) supports the CEED strategic vision by developing new research areas, attracting new and established scientists to environmental health research, fostering the careers of early career investigators, catalyzing community collaborations, growing CEED’s funding base, and enhancing our strengths in innovative, impactful environmental health research. Through the Pilot Project Program, CEED can maintain its focus on high-quality science, cutting-edge innovation, and productive interactions with the communities it serves.  A major focus of the program is to support the CEED vision of an increase in community-centered environmental health research.

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