The 1st Environmental Plastic Seminar from Environmental Plastics Research Complex (EPReC)
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the 11st Environmental Plastic Seminar was held.
This research meeting aims to provide an open forum for information exchange on environmental plastics research. It is organized mainly by the Marine Science Group of the Environment and Food Unit and will be conducted throughout the year. From this fiscal year, it continues as part of the “Environmental Plastics Research Complex (EPReC),” a socially-implemented research and development program launched at the FS under the Social Impact Framework (SIF) initiative.
This was the first meeting since the group was renamed from the “Ocean Plastics Research Seminar” to the “Environmental Plastic Seminar.” At the event, Professor Hiroshi Okouchi of Waseda University delivered a lecture entitled “Microplastic Air Pollution: Emerging Risks for Health and Climate.”
We were able to learn about highly sophisticated methods being developed to measure extremely small amounts of airborne microplastics, as well as prospects for future collaboration with medical researchers to consider health risks. The discussion also highlighted the global circulation of plastics through the interconnectedness of the atmosphere and oceans, underscoring the urgent need for further international research in this field.
Furthermore, Professor Okouchi shared vivid accounts of on-site research, including challenging sampling expeditions conducted with students at the summit of Mt. Fuji. These stories provided a strong sense of the reality of fieldwork and left us with the hope that young researchers will continue to thrive in this area and drive further advances in the field.
The next meeting is scheduled for October 22, when Dr. Won Joon Shim of Gyeongsang National University will deliver a lecture. Details of the event will be announced on the FS website in due course.
