Penn researchers bring microplastics detection kits into Philadelphia classroom

Students at Holy Redeemer School in Chinatown got a hands-on lesson in microplastics as Penn researchers brought new detection kits into the classroom to demonstrate how to test drinking water.

The lesson gave students a closer look at a pollution problem that is often too small to see with the naked eye.

Eighth grader Alyson Liang said the lesson expanded her understanding of where microplastics can be found.

"I knew it was in the water bottles, but I didn't know it was everywhere," she said.

Derek Ho, a postdoctoral fellow with Penn Engineering's McBride Lab, led the demonstration, showing students how to test drinking water for microplastics.

Earlier this year, the White House announced it was investing $144 million in federal funding to research and remove microplastics from the human body. Penn Engineering was already working on the issue.

"Currently, there's not a lot of education around microplastics, and we want to demystify all these misconceptions and teach educators to teach it to their students, and that's a tall order," Ho said.

The visit to Holy Redeemer School marked the team's first stop in distributing microplastics detection kits to schools across the city.