“These findings scare me, and I hope they scare other people too,” warns Professor Dr. Lukas Kenner.

After years researching how plastic impacts cancer formation, cancer researcher and deputy director of the Clinical Institute of Pathology at the Medical University of Vienna – Professor Dr. Lukas Kenner – reveals that cancer cells spread faster and more aggressively after ingesting nanoplastics.

The problem? Nanoplastics are everywhere – from the food we ingest to the air we breathe, liquids we consume and clothes we wear. They have even been found deep inside the human body. Prof Dr Lukas Kenner takes a closer look at how nanoplastics interact with the human body, and in particular their effect on cancer cells. Not only are plastics absorbed by cancer cells, they also cause faster spread and more aggressive cancer growth. How can we prevent this?

Kenner’s portrait is the first in “Scientists Speak Out,” a series spotlighting scientists and their latest, cutting-edge research into the hidden impact of micro and nanoplastics on our health. The series was created by Resilient Foundation and Plastic Soup Foundation, in collaboration with A Plastic Planet and The Plastic Health Council, in order to make this critical research accessible to policy-makers and the public.