Dr Elvis Okoffo, QAEHS Research Fellow, has been awarded the 2025 SETAC AU Early-Career Medal in recognition for excellence in scientific work in Australasia that has involved substantial environmental toxicology and chemistry, or for service to environmental toxicology and chemistry in Australasia, over the past five years.
Elvis’s research has uncovered that everyday plastic items washed in household dishwashers can release substantial numbers of micro- and nanoplastics into wastewater. The study focused on common household plastics, revealing that on average, a single dishwasher cycle with these plastic items can release approximately 920,000 tiny micro and nano particles per full load cycle. This study serves as a first look to understand the release of micro- and nanoparticles from plastic items during dishwasher use and suggests that the source contribution from dishwashers is relatively low.
