Sewage sludge is a major source of soil contamination with microplastics such as tire wear particles (TWP), because TWP are not fully eliminated during wastewater treatments. Sewage sludge is used as a fertilizer in agriculture, thus introducing TWP to the agroecosystem. In their project, Thilo Hofmann (Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Sciences, University of Vienna) and Benny Chefetz (Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) want to investigate if TWP are taken up in edible plants and thereby reach consumers.

The project, starting on 1 March 2023, will investigate the uptake of TWP-derived compounds in root, fruit, and leafy vegetables under realistic growing conditions. Growing experiments under greenhouse and field conditions will be done by the HUJ team using their facilities in Rehovot, analysis will be done by the UNVIE team together with the HUJ team, thus combining the strengths of both universities. This study is the first of its kind to assess a so far overlooked pathway of plastic pollution to edible plants. By reaching out to the public, the project team also wants to raise awareness of the complex connections between plastic pollution and food.