PlasURE

On september 25th, the PlasURE project took part in the European Researchers' Night (Noite Europeia dos Investigadores) at i3S, in Porto (Portugal). The team brought "Microplastics Detectives" to the public — a hands-on demonstration where participants tried to find fragments of microplastics hidden among soil, pine needle, and lichen samples, some collected from areas affected by wildfires and others from unaffected areas.

The activity had a small twist: after examining the samples with the naked eye, participants looked at them again under ultraviolet light, revealing fluorescent plastic fragments that had gone unnoticed before. In a visual and playful way, the activity showcased the work carried out within the PlasURE project, which studies the presence and behaviour of microplastics in the context of wildfires, bringing the science closer to the general public of all ages.

The PlasURE project officially held its kick-off meeting on 30 January 2026. This initiative, which is funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), is led by LEPABE (FEUP) in partnership with LSRE-LCM (FEUP) and Institute of Public Health (ISPUP). It also benefits from the involvement of an international network of experts from the Universities of Florence, Murcia, and Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. 

By monitoring microplastics and PAHs in the air, soil and pine needles, PlasURE aims to map the distribution of pollutants across urban and rural areas. A critical component of the research will focus on how wildfires and extreme weather events accelerate the dispersion of these contaminants. In addition to environmental mapping, the project will conduct toxicity assays to evaluate potential risks to human health and use advanced modelling to predict future public health scenarios.