Tamara Galloway

Last updated
Tamara Susan Galloway
OBE
Alma mater University of Glasgow (BS)
University of Edinburgh (PhD)
Known forMicroplastics
Awards Order of the British Empire (2019)
Volvo Environment Prize (2022) [1]
Scientific career
Institutions University of Exeter
University of Plymouth

Tamara Susan Galloway OBE is a British marine scientist and Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 Birthday Honours.

Contents

Early life and education

Galloway studied biochemistry at the University of Glasgow. [2] She graduated with first-class honours in 1983, and was awarded the Norman Davidson Memorial medal. Galloway moved to the University of Edinburgh for her graduate studies, and earned her PhD in 1986. [2] She took an extensive career break between 1990 and 1997 during which she carried out a number of part-time positions, including as a research assistant to the Nobel Laureate Peter D. Mitchell at the Glynn Research Institute, at Glynn House, in Cornwall. [2]

Research and career

Galloway's research considers the biological impact of environmental change on human populations. [3] Since 2003, Galloway has worked with Richard Thompson at the University of Plymouth on the impact of plastics in the environment. [4] Together they worked to quantify the contamination of microplastics. [5]

She became interested in the impacts of plastics on health and moved to the University of Exeter in 2007. [4] Here she worked with the University of Exeter Medical School on Bisphenol A, which is a compound that is found in food and drink packaging. [4] She used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was the first to collect information on urinary BPA concentrations. [3] Galloway identified that Bisphenol A, which is detectable in 90% of adults, can cause increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and liver disease. [4] [6] She continued to investigate Bisphenol A, demonstrating that urinary concentrations are independently associated with cardiovascular disease. [3] [7] [8] She conducted a study with the British Heart Foundation that involved over 1,600 patients, which confirmed that Bisphenol A accelerates the progression of heart disease by ten years. [3] Galloway's work on Bisphenol A was covered in The Naked Scientists , Chemistry World and in USA Today . [9] [10] [11]

Galloway is an expert in microplastics. [12] Galloway predicted that microplastics would have an impact on the marine food chain. [13] She has primarily looked at the impact of micro- and nano-plastics, finding that they can stop animals from feeding on their natural prey. Galloway demonstrated that this likely impacts the rest of the food chain, estimating that shellfish consumed by humans contained around 50 particles of plastic. [14] She found that one shower could result in 100,000 microbeads ending up in the ocean. [15] The work was used for the basis of the United Kingdom law that bans microbeads, which protects the environment from several thousand tonnes of microbeads every year. So far, she has found microplastics in every seawater sample that she has analysed. [16]

Galloway provided evidence to a cross-party committee on the environment. [14] Her research was used in the Government of the United Kingdom report A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment. [17] Galloway worked with Zero Plastic Waste and Policy Connect to investigate how it would be possible to eliminate plastic waste from the United Kingdom. [18] She is a member of the Science Advice for Policy by European Academies group on microplastics in nature. [19] Galloway served on the advisory board of Blue Planet II. [13]

She is on the editorial board of Chemosphere. [20]

Awards and honours

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby bottle</span> Bottle containing liquid (usually milk or formula) to nourish infant

A baby bottle, nursing bottle, or feeding bottle is a bottle with a teat attached to it, which creates the ability to drink via suckling. It is typically used by infants and young children, or if someone cannot drink from a cup, for feeding oneself or being fed. It can also be used to feed non-human mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glitter</span> Shiny and small reflective particles

Glitter is an assortment of flat, small, reflective particles that are precision cut and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkles and sequins, but somewhat smaller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodegradable plastic</span> Plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic bottle</span> Narrow-necked container

A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from very small bottles to large carboys. Consumer blow molded containers often have integral handles or are shaped to facilitate grasping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic pellet pollution</span> Marine debris from plastic manufacturing particles

Plastic pellet pollution is a type of marine debris originating from the plastic particles that are universally used to manufacture large-scale plastics. In the context of plastic pollution, these pre-production plastic pellets are commonly known as 'nurdles'. These microplastics are created separately from the user plastics they are melted down to form, and pellet loss can occur during both the manufacturing and transport stages. When released into the open environment, they create persistent pollution both in the oceans and on beaches. About 230,000 tonnes of nurdles are thought to be deposited in the oceans each year, where they are often mistaken for food by seabirds, fish and other wildlife. Due to their small size, they are notoriously difficult to clear up from beaches and elsewhere.

A garbage patch is a gyre of marine debris particles caused by the effects of ocean currents and increasing plastic pollution by human populations. These human-caused collections of plastic and other debris, cause ecosystem and environmental problems that affect marine life, contaminate oceans with toxic chemicals, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Once waterborne, marine debris becomes mobile. Flotsam can be blown by the wind, or follow the flow of ocean currents, often ending up in the middle of oceanic gyres where currents are weakest. Garbage patches grow because of widespread loss of plastic from human trash collection systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisphenol S</span> Chemical compound

Bisphenol S (BPS) is an organic compound with the formula (HOC6H4)2SO2. It has two phenol functional groups on either side of a sulfonyl group. It is commonly used in curing fast-drying epoxy resin adhesives. It is classified as a bisphenol, and a close molecular analog of bisphenol A (BPA). BPS differentiates from BPA by possessing a sulfone group (SO2) as the central linker of the molecule instead of a dimethylmethylene group (C 2), which is the case of bisphenol A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine plastic pollution</span> Environmental pollution by plastics

Marine plastic pollution is a type of marine pollution by plastics, ranging in size from large original material such as bottles and bags, down to microplastics formed from the fragmentation of plastic material. Marine debris is mainly discarded human rubbish which floats on, or is suspended in the ocean. Eighty percent of marine debris is plastic. Microplastics and nanoplastics result from the breakdown or photodegradation of plastic waste in surface waters, rivers or oceans. Recently, scientists have uncovered nanoplastics in heavy snow, more specifically about 3,000 tons that cover Switzerland yearly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impact of the petroleum industry</span>

The environmental impact of the petroleum industry is extensive and expansive due to petroleum having many uses. Crude oil and natural gas are primary energy and raw material sources that enable numerous aspects of modern daily life and the world economy. Their supply has grown quickly over the last 150 years to meet the demands of the rapidly increasing human population, creativity, knowledge, and consumerism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic</span> Material of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids

Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptability, plus a wide range of other properties, such as being lightweight, durable, flexible, and inexpensive to produce, has led to its widespread use. Plastics typically are made through human industrial systems. Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum; however, recent industrial methods use variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Atlantic garbage patch</span> Large floating field of debris in the North Atlantic Ocean

The North Atlantic garbage patch is a garbage patch of man-made marine debris found floating within the North Atlantic Gyre, originally documented in 1972. A 22-year research study conducted by the Sea Education Association estimates the patch to be hundreds of kilometers across, with a density of more than 200,000 pieces of debris per square kilometer. The garbage originates from human-created waste traveling from rivers into the ocean and mainly consists of microplastics. The garbage patch is a large risk to wildlife through plastic consumption and entanglement. There have only been a few awareness and clean-up efforts for the North Atlantic garbage patch, such as The Garbage Patch State at UNESCO and The Ocean Cleanup, as most of the research and cleanup efforts have been focused on the Great Pacific garbage patch, a similar garbage patch in the north Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microplastics</span> Extremely small fragments of plastic

Microplastics are fragments of any type of plastic less than 5 mm (0.20 in) in length, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Chemicals Agency. They cause pollution by entering natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and industrial processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbead</span>

Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter in their largest dimension. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene. They are used in exfoliating personal care products, toothpastes and in biomedical and health-science research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic pollution</span> Accumulation of plastic in natural ecosystems

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized by size into micro-, meso-, or macro debris. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, making them very adaptable for different uses; as a result, manufacturers choose to use plastic over other materials. However, the chemical structure of most plastics renders them resistant to many natural processes of degradation and as a result they are slow to degrade. Together, these two factors allow large volumes of plastic to enter the environment as mismanaged waste and for it to persist in the ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015</span>

The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 is a United States law that prohibits the addition of plastic microbeads in the manufacturing of certain personal care products, such as toothpaste. The purpose of the law is to reduce water pollution caused by these products. Manufacture of the microbead-containing products was prohibited in July 2017, and retail sales are prohibited as of July 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic Soup Foundation</span>

Plastic Soup Foundation is a non-profit marine conservation organisation that aims to reduce plastic pollution. Established in 2011, Plastic Soup Foundation advocates towards imposing bans and/or voluntary phase-outs of microbeads in cosmetics at a global scale with the Beat the Microbead campaign.

The Shaw Institute, formerly the Marine & Environmental Research Institute, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific research organization based in Blue Hill, Maine and New York City. The institute conducts research into ocean pollution, flame retardants, microplastics and plastic pollution, sentinel species and climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Cloke</span> Professor of Hydrology

Hannah Louise Cloke is a Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading. She was awarded the European Geosciences Union Plinius Medal in 2018 and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 Birthday Honours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelsea Rochman</span> American marine and freshwater ecologist

Chelsea Marina Rochman is an American marine and freshwater ecologist whose research focuses on anthropogenic stressors in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Since September 2016, Rochman has been an assistant professor at the University of Toronto in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a scientific advisor to the Ocean Conservancy.

Richard Charles Thompson is a marine biologist who researches marine litter. At the University of Plymouth he is director of the Marine Institute; professor of Marine Biology; and leads the International Marine Litter Research Unit. Thompson coined the term "microplastics" in 2004.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.environment-prize.com/ceremony/2022/
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Tamara Galloway". University of Exeter. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "REF Case study search". impact.ref.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "NERC - From "trivial issue" to primetime TV". nerc.ukri.org. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  5. ↑ "REF Case study search". impact.ref.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  6. ↑ "University of Exeter". www.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  7. ↑ Melzer, David; Gates, Phil; Osborn, Nicholas J.; Henley, William E.; Cipelli, Ricardo; Young, Anita; Money, Cathryn; McCormack, Paul; Schofield, Peter (2012-08-15). "Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration and Angiography-Defined Coronary Artery Stenosis". PLOS ONE. 7 (8): e43378. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...743378M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043378 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3419714 . PMID   22916252.
  8. ↑ Melzer, David; Osborne, Nicholas J.; Henley, William E.; Cipelli, Riccardo; Young, Anita; Money, Cathryn; McCormack, Paul; Luben, Robert; Khaw, Kay-Tee (2012-03-27). "Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration and Risk of Future Coronary Artery Disease in Apparently Healthy Men and Women". Circulation. 125 (12): 1482–1490. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.111.069153 . hdl: 10871/14546 . ISSN   0009-7322. PMID   22354940.
  9. ↑ "Pollution & Plastics". www.thenakedscientists.com. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  10. ↑ "Bisphenol A: What you need to know - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  11. ↑ November 2012, Nina Notman20. "BPA: friend or foe?". Chemistry World. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  12. ↑ NERCscience (2018-11-08), Uncovering the impact of microplastics in the ocean with Professor Tamara Galloway , retrieved 2019-06-08
  13. 1 2 "NERC - NERC Impact Awards 2018: 4,000 tonnes of microbeads no longer released into ocean". nerc.ukri.org. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  14. 1 2 3 "Research impact: award winner and runners up". The Guardian. 2018-04-24. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  15. ↑ Reporters, Telegraph (2016-08-24). "One shower releases 100,000 microbeads into the ocean, MPs warn as they call for ban". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  16. ↑ Creagh, Sunanda. "Response from Tamara Galloway". The Conversation. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  17. ↑ "University of Exeter". www.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  18. ↑ "NERC - How to achieve zero plastic waste". nerc.ukri.org. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  19. ↑ "A scientific perspective on microplastics in nature and society | SAPEA". www.sapea.info. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  20. ↑ "Tamara Galloway". www.journals.elsevier.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  21. ↑ Maps, University of Plymouth Drake Circus Plymouth Devon PL4 8AA United Kingdom +44 1752 600600; vacancies, directions Visit us Job. "Scientists earn awards for global impact of microplastics research". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  22. ↑ Hughes, David (2019-06-08). "Queen's birthday honours list 2019 in full: here is everyone being recognised this year". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  23. ↑ https://www.environment-prize.com/ceremony/2022/
  24. ↑ https://www.af-info.or.jp/en/blueplanet/news/announcing-the-winners-for-2023-blue-planet-prize.html
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.