As microplastics threaten Oregon’s environment and human health, PSU gets $2M to research solutions

Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be providing almost $2 million in funding to Portland State University to find ways to fight microplastic pollution in the state.

The funding — which comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Sens. Merkley and Wyden helped pass in 2021 — comes at a time when Oregon, and much of the modern world, is riddled with microplastics, which are pieces of plastic smaller than five millimeters (about one-fifth of an inch) across.