Date of Award

4-6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Lynn Bedard

Second Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Everett

Third Advisor

Renee Thomas-Woods

Abstract

Over the course of eight years from 2016 to 2024, a study by Nature Medicine found that the concentration of plastics in the brain increased by 50%. Even samples from patients with a documented dementia diagnosis showed a greater accumulation of microplastics (Nihart, 2025). In one of the most protected regions of our body, microplastics have made themselves known. In one of the most exposed regions of the human body, the story is no different. With the emergence of gut microbiome science and understanding, researchers are just beginning to discover the unique interplay between the microbiota of our gastrointestinal tract and the pervasive plastics that have now entered the story of our human biology. However, the insidious impacts of these plastics begin long before. Under the allure of a durable and disposable material, the plastic industry boomed to fill rapid consumer demand. This growth gave rise to and perpetuated disparities from the production at the petrochemical facilities to the exposure of degraded microplastics and the chemicals that leach from them. However, public health disparities in the context of the life of plastics have been overlooked in the scientific community and media scientific communication. A lack of human data sets and an isolated view on the environment rather than public health have kept the spotlight away from this human exposure and disproportionate impact. Science and subsequent media portrayal must work together to expose the public health injustices that plastics, and the microplastics that derive from them, inflect on human health. In the growing field of gut microbiome science and its emerging criticality to human health, I provide a framework for this effective scientific communication through analysis of antibiotic resistance in E. coli bacterial cultures following polystyrene microplastic exposure, as a result of biofilm formation.

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