Amcor Senior Fellow Kevin Nelson to Speak April 8 on Packaging Innovation and Plastics Research, Sponsored by Nebraska Nanoplastics
Kevin Nelson, Senior Fellow in Amcor’s Global Core R&D Group, will visit the University of Nebraska–Lincoln on April 8 to deliver a research seminar hosted by Nebraska Nanoplastics and supported by the UNL Grand Challenges initiative.
The seminar will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Kiewit Hall A203 and is open to the campus community. Nelson will share insights from more than four decades of experience developing high-barrier flexible packaging solutions and discuss current challenges and innovations at the intersection of material science, sustainability, and consumer perception.
Nelson holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined The Bemis Company in 1979, which later merged with Amcor. He has since become a leading figure in flexible packaging research, with 25 U.S. patents and four Bemis President’s Awards for Outstanding Technical Achievement. His current research centers on understanding process/material interactions and their effects on final package performance.
The event is part of Nebraska Nanoplastics’ ongoing efforts to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement around the environmental and health impacts of micro- & nano-plastics.
Contact:
Dr. Lucia Fernandez-Ballester (lucia.fernandez@unl.edu)
Dr. Changmin Yan (cyan3@unl.edu)
Assessing the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic containers and reusable food pouches: implications for human health
A recent study investigated the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic containers and reusable food pouches under various conditions, such as microwave heating, refrigeration, and room-temperature storage. The results showed that microwave heating caused the highest release of microplastics and nanoplastics into food, with some containers releasing millions of microplastic and billions of nanoplastic particles in just 3 minutes. Even after six months of storage, millions to billions of particles were still being released. Polyethylene-based pouches released more particles than polypropylene containers. Exposure modeling estimated daily intake for infants and toddlers consuming microwaved food or drinks. In vitro tests revealed that these released particles caused significant cell death in human kidney cells. The findings raise concerns about the potential health risks of microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in everyday food storage and heating practices.