NANOPLASTICS - THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH AND CLIMATE STABILITY
Conference in the European Parliament
Nanoplastics, Hidden Connections and Emerging Risks
February 24, 2026
6:30pm - 8:30pm CET | Registration starts at 5pm
European Parliament, Brussels, Rue Wiertz 60, Belgium
Conference Organizer: Ing. Ondřej Knotek, Member of the European Parliament, in cooperation with the ALLATRA Global Research Center Think Tank
About this event
Nanoplastics are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in our environment, yet their impacts remain insufficiently understood. This conference examines how the physical properties of nanoplastics affect the environment, human health, and climate.
The event brings together experts from science, medicine, and public policy to examine how nanoplastics interact with living organisms and ecosystems, and how these interactions contribute to human health and climate.
It aims to highlight a growing threat that is not sufficiently addressed by current regulatory frameworks and to support informed, evidence-based dialogue within the European Parliament and beyond.
Documentary: ナノプラスチック. 生命への脅威
"The main goal today isn't to stop plastic production, but to find ways to reduce the impact of micro- and nanoplastics on human health and the environment."
Invisible Pollution
Nanoplastics are now present throughout the environment, including in air, water, soil, and food chains. They have also been detected in practically all the organs of the human body, raising serious concerns about their potential long-term effects on human health and the environment.
Electrostatic Properties
Nanoplastics can carry electrostatic charges on their surfaces, enabling interactions with cellular structures and biological systems that extend beyond chemical toxicity. Such properties may, for example, increase cellular uptake and retention, and facilitate penetration across protective biological barriers.
Global Health Concern
Nanoplastics can enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. Studies have demonstrated that these particles may act as carriers for pathogens, induce oxidative stress, disrupt mitochondrial function, and cause DNA damage. Consequently, exposure to nanoplastics has been associated with increased risks of cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive and fertility disorders.
Implications for Climate
Nanoplastics in the atmosphere and oceans influence aerosol dynamics, cloud formation, and ocean–atmosphere heat exchange, affecting weather patterns and precipitation. Acting alongside natural geodynamic processes—such as tectonic activity, mantle convection, and long-term geological cycles— they increase vulnerability to climate extremes and natural disasters. Incorporating nanoplastics into climate and Earth-system models is essential for effective risk assessment and policy decisions.
The Cost of Inaction
If unaddressed, this overlooked factor could significantly amplify risks to the environment, human health, and climate, likely leading to substantial and escalating economic losses worldwide.
Call to Action
The growing prevalence of nanoplastics underscores the urgent need for greater public awareness, increased research funding and initiatives, open and globally inclusive interdisciplinary scientific collaboration, and comprehensive, forward-looking risk assessment frameworks.
Conference Keynote Speakers
Pastor Mark Burns
Spiritual Advisor to President Donald Trump; Spiritual Diplomat; Co-Founder, The NOW Television Network;
Founder, Harvest Praise & Worship Center
Nanoplastics represent a grave and ongoing threat to human life. They damage the human body, affect pregnancy, and undermine the most fundamental aspects of human health. Despite the seriousness of this issue, it is still not being discussed with the urgency it deserves, and this silence must be broken.
PROF ANTONIO RAGUSA, ITALY
Obstetrician & Gynecologist
MD, Obstetrics Department Sassuolo hospital S.p.A., Modena, Italy
"One of the essential things is the environment we live in, and plastic is one of the most important factors shaping it."
ジョン・アン博士（米国）
Expert of ALLATRA Global Research Center on Climate, Geodynamics,
and Environmental Issues
"Many signs indicate that our planet's energy balance has been disrupted, and natural processes are intensifying exponentially. Consequently, we may have less and less time to respond, and nanoplastics are playing a key role in this acceleration."
RNDr. Jan Kára, PhD., Czech Republic
ALLATRA Global Research Center Expert on Climate, Geodynamics, and Nanoplastics
"Current studies indicate that the electrostatic charge of these plastic particles is a critical factor enabling their interaction with the surrounding environment, including living tissues."
ANNA KOTLYAR, Israel
Ecologist | Data Analyst
Environmental specialist with an interdisciplinary background in ecology and scientific research, applying data analysis to assess systemic environmental risks.
"Plastic pollution is not only what we see. The real danger lies in microscopic particles that interact with living systems at the cellular level, turning plastic into a systemic planetary risk."
ALEXANDER MASNY, Germany
Biochemist, MSc in Bioinformatics
Expert of ALLATRA Global Research Center on Geodynamics, Environmental Issues and Impact of Nano-/Microplastics
"Throughout the COP30 conference, we engaged with numerous delegates, scientists, and civil-society representatives, and we saw a clear readiness to consider this issue as a critical part of future climate and environmental policy conversations."
Maryna Ovtsynova
President, ALLATRA; Global risk strategy specialist; Graduate of Harvard Kennedy School of Government (specializing in public administration) and Harvard Law School
"Nanoplastics represent not only an environmental or public health concern, but a systemic risk to national and global security, as they undermine population resilience and economic stability. For this reason, focused attention from the international community, policymakers, and key institutions is urgently required."
Essential for Today's Leaders & Decision-Makers
Participants will gain comprehensive, science-based, and actionable insights into a major yet insufficiently recognized global risk, supporting informed decision-making across health, environmental, and climate policy domains.
Speakers
& Attendees
This conference is designed for policymakers, members of the academic and scientific community across diverse disciplines, industry stakeholders, and civil-society representatives engaged in addressing complex environmental and health challenges.
Media
& Community Engagement
Journalists and community leaders are cordially invited to participate in the conference and engage with speakers and attendees to help bring this critical issue to a broader public audience.
Conference Organizer:
Ing. Ondřej Knotek
Ondřej Knotek is a Member of the European Parliament, member of Patriots for Europe Group, who has long focused on strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union, supporting innovation, and promoting a realistic approach to the energy transition that takes into account its economic, security, and social impacts on Member States and their citizens.
As a Member of the European Parliament,
he supports expert discussion on the growing risks to human health, ecosystems, and climate stability. He emphasizes the need for science-based data, international cooperation, and open dialogue between scientists, experts, institutions, and political leaders.
His goal is
to foster a responsible European debate and to identify effective ways to protect public health and the environment.
ALLATRAグローバルリサーチセンターについて
ALLATRAグローバルリサーチセンターは厳密な科学的分析と包括的なリスク評価 そして科学的根拠に基づく政策提言を通じて地球規模の重大な課題に取り組む国際的なシンクタンクです
501(c)(3)非営利団体であるALLATRA USAの法的枠組みの下で運営される同センターは自然災害の地球力学・気候及び地球物理学的リスクとマイクロプラスチック及びナノプラスチックが生態系と健康に及ぼす影響 そして世界的な人権及び異文化間協力に関する学際的な研究を行っています
ALLATRAグローバルリサーチセンターの活動は 科学的探究と戦略的及び実務的な指針を統合し 世界規模に於ける十分な情報に基づく意思決定を支援しています
Contact for registration and media: [email protected]
ALLATRA Global Research Center (ALLATRA GRC) is registered in the EU Transparency Register under registration number REG 1148853102055-15.