# Role of open dumping and open burning of solid waste in the generation of microplastics and products of incomplete combustion on tribal lands

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2024 · $251,486

## Abstract

Project Summary “Role of Open Dumping And Open Burning Of Solid Waste In The Generation Of
Microplastics And Products Of Incomplete Combustion On Tribal Lands”
This research project addresses two critical issues in tribal lands caused by open dumping and burning: 1)
potential generation of secondary microplastics which are currently under intense investigation worldwide due
to their unknown health and environmental effects and 2) generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
which include a wide array of potential toxic substances. Open dumping and burning practices are common in
tribal lands posing potential health to communities located nearby. Open dumping enables plague propagation,
infection transmission, wildfire fire generation, greenhouse gas emission, water and solid ecosystems pollution,
and bad odor emissions among other undesired effects. Open burning in addition to producing typical
combustion products (e.g., carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor, hydrogen sulfide) generates
products of incomplete combustion. Products of incomplete combustion include greenhouse gases, reactive
trace gases, VOCs, semi-VOCs, dioxins, and other toxic compounds, ashes, and particulate matter. Secondary
microplastics are a potential product of incomplete combustion. Secondary microplastics are plastic materials
generated by the fragmentation of larger plastic pieces. Despite the disparities in infrastructure that increase
the likelihood of microplastics generation on tribal lands, their occurrence due to open burning practices and
their effect on environment and health in tribal lands is largely unknown. We hypothesize that open dumping
and burning practices generate and propagate microplastics and toxic VOCs in air, water, and soil enabling the
exposure of communities located in proximity to waste disposal sites. The goal of the proposed project is to
better understand the disparate environmental and health impacts of dumping and burning in tribal
communities. We will partner with communities in Crow, Navajo, and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe for this
investigation. We propose the following specific aims: Specific Aim 1: Identify changes in physical and
chemical properties of plastics from open burning activities and propagation pathways through the environment
in lab scale experiments and field Specific Aim 2: Identify the potential exposure pathways and the
environmental biophysical impacts of plastics from open burning activities in soil-plant-air systems. Specific
Aim 3: Identify patterns in release of VOC, PAH, and dioxins released from open burning activities. Each tribal
community likely has unique burning practices, thus the identification of both common and distinct patterns will
help inform mitigation strategies that can be applied broadly or can be specifically tailored by community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10808162
- **Project number:** 5P50MD015706-10
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jorge Gonzalez Estrella
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $251,486
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-08-01 → 2026-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10808162

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10808162, Role of open dumping and open burning of solid waste in the generation of microplastics and products of incomplete combustion on tribal lands (5P50MD015706-10). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10808162. Licensed CC0.

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