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Plastics, Microplastics, and Human Health Class

October 6 @ 7:00 pm – November 24 @ 7:00 pm EDT

  • 7 week online course
  • Classes held Tuesdays, 7-9pm ET
  • Geared to physicians, researchers and healthcare personnel
  • Scholarships available. Contact megan@psnap.org

How do plastics impact the human body? How do we protect ourselves, and how do we establish lasting change?

Recent findings about the impacts of plastic on human health demonstrate that plastic pollution is not just a litter problem, it is a health hazard. The chemical additives in plastic do not stay put. They leach out into what they touch — including food, water, air, and human bodies – and a large number are hazardous. As researchers follow the path of microplastics into the ecosystem and into us, they are coming to understand the hazards that these chemical particles present to living tissue, and they are raising alarms. Many of the additives found in plastics are associated with disorders from obesity and diabetes to autism and ADHD. Given the ubiquity of plastic and the growth of the industry (production is expected to triple by 2060), there is no way for individuals to avoid exposure, or to stave off potential impacts. What does this mean, and what is to be done? Join Megan J. Wolff, PhD, MPH, for an in-depth class on what is known – and what is being researched – on the impact of plastics on human health. Enrollment is open to all, with a $150 matriculation fee used to support the Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health (P-SNAP)

$150.00 Registration

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Some feedback from last semester

The lectures were just so incredibly informative and sparked engaging conversation where I felt I learned a lot from others in the class too. The guest lectures were all also amazing contributions to what we were discussing that day.

This class is a captivating and informative way to learn everything you never wanted to know about the impacts of plastics on health and humanity.

The science of plastics and health is an emerging field, and Megan Wolff takes the class along on the journey exploring the latest as well as established research. She is open and honest and encourages interaction. A must if you want to be well-informed on this topic!

Dr. Wolff is a dynamic lecturer who makes a difficult topic most interesting and comprehensible. It’s an ever-changing topic, where new research becomes available all the time. But you have to start somewhere if this interests you. Not only will you receive access to reputable resources, but a wealth of knowledge and discussion from others who share this passion.

Dr. Wolff’s expertise and enthusiasm is catching! I highly recommend this class! Be prepared to read A LOT!

Great lectures, great slides, great study material and reference material, outstanding guest lecturers, and finally, great to be able to ask questions! Megan’s accessibility for in-class and after-class discussion is invaluable, as is her access to new research and current field work! Loved it all and would take the class again!!

Dr. Wolff’s class was exceptional. She is an engaging lecturer. Through a historical lens, she covered how the plastic crisis evolved present day discovery by scientists that macro and nanoplastics are now in our food, soil, air, water, and humans and the effects on human health. The knowledge she imparted would benefit everyone. A “must” take class!

This class provides a comprehensive look at the plastics problem from a historical perspective up to current research. Dr. Wolff addresses the problem head on, but with optimism that “we created this problem and we can solve it.”

A preview of recommended class reading

Articles

David Wallace-Wells, “You Are Contaminated,” New York Times, Aug 4, 2025.

Agrawal, Nina, “What Are Microplastics Doing to Our Bodies? This Lab Is Racing to Find Out,” New York Times, April 8, 2025.  

Lanphear, Bruce, “Plastic Chemicals—A Hidden Link to Autism?” Substack, March 29, 2025.

Bounfour, Agathe, “Manufactured Doubt: the plastics industry is taking lessons from Big Oil to undermine science,” Source Material, November 27, 2024.

Books

Megan J. Wolff, Ph.D., MPH is a subject matter expert on plastics and human health, and an adjunct faculty member at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. In 2023, Wolff served on the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastic and Human Health, a collaboration of 48 international researchers who charted the health effects of plastic from production through disposal, releasing an authoritative report in time for the negotiations of the global plastics treaty. She served for three years as the Health Policy Director of Beyond Plastics, and is now the Executive Director of the Physician and Scientist Network Addressing Plastics and Health (P-SNAP).

Dr. Wolff received her master’s degree and her PhD in Public Health from Columbia University, and her BA in English from Wesleyan University. She believes that climate change is the greatest threat to human and environmental health and well-being, and that overproduction of plastics touches on every phase of the climate fight.