29/07/2025
"Who of you is worried that they have plastics in their bodies? Do you think that this affects your health? Well, I am a Professor of Medicine, and I am worried."
These were the opening words from Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas that drew an audible gasp from a packed crowd at the recent University of Western Australia Rising Stars event.
The annual event provides a once-off opportunity for researchers to showcase their work in a succinct pitch to an audience of supporters.
The 2025 event featured five outstanding researchers, each given only six minutes to summarise years of detailed research in a compelling and relatable way.
Speaking with intensity and passion about the toxic effects of plastics and plastic associated chemicals on the human body, Professor Lucas underlined the urgency to find answers.
Her multi-disciplinary team including biologists, nutritionists, dieticians, and analysts, has been working tirelessly since 2022 to test the clinical impacts of consciously removing plastic from our food chain and environment, with a cutting-edge trial involving hundreds of participants.
The crowd was again shocked to hear Michaela say that the vast majority of the 16,000 chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics have never been studies in the context of human health.
Plastic associated chemicals that leach out of plastic products and packaging are known endocrine disrupters, that is, they interfere with naturally occurring hormones in the human body. Many of these chemicals, have a known association with a variety of human diseases, including infertility, autoimmune disease, cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.
So, it is no surprise that Professor Lucas, as the head of the cutting-edge PERTH Trial, is energised to extend the work the team is doing in this critical area of health research.
Professor Lucas ended her presentation with a heartfelt message from an 18-year-old male PERTH Trial participant:
“Because the health challenge for my grandparents was lead, it was asbestos for my parents, and I believe, it is plastics for my generation.”
The PERTH Trial is made possible by the ongoing support of Minderoo Foundation
To receive updates on the latest in human plastics research head to our website: https://lnkd.in/gs5tvze5
The University of Western Australia
