Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded a $765,348 Project Grant to the University of California, Davis on April 14, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031, to conduct research on Pollutant-Adsorbed Nanoplastics (PANS) and their health impacts. Under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113), the research will deliver advanced label-free imaging methodologies and detection techniques—including Enhanced Dark Field/Hyperspectral Imaging and Raman Spectroscopy—to identify and quantify PANS in environmental samples collected from roadways, agricultural fields, and ocean spray. The project will establish optimized detection protocols and generate baseline data on PANS concentrations in real-world environments to support the controlled synthesis of PANS for subsequent toxicological assessment.

The research directly addresses the critical public health concern of nanoplastic pollution and inhalation exposure by investigating how the physicochemical properties of pollutant-nanoplastic composite particles alter biodistribution and neurotoxicity. Deliverables include fundamental characterization data on PANS from diverse environmental sources, validated detection methodologies that do not require chemical isolation, and controlled PANS samples synthesized based on environmental findings. These outputs will advance understanding of how nanoplastics function as vectors for airborne pollutants and inform future intervention strategies to mitigate health risks from nanoplastic inhalation.