The University of Southampton

Author: Adeline Sivyer

Science: Fixing Plastic Pollution or Making it Worse?

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Realising the contribution of science to plastic pollution

David Attenborough’s poignant message about plastic pollution, from Blue Planet II in 2017. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW3jEIYBFzg

I have always been aware of the common sources of single-use plastics and how these are being reduced. One of the most influential discussions around plastic pollution in recent years was David Attenborough’s message in Blue Planet II in 2017. Since then, many beneficial changes to our day-to-day life have been implemented, including the ban on plastic straws in 20211 and the introduction of the carrier bag charge, also in 20212. Part of my keen interest in science is due to its ability to improve the sustainability of various sectors. However, a lot of the lecture content on this module has focused on the wastefulness of things I had previously not considered, such as prosthetic sockets, or wheelchairs not appropriate for their use. When I first entered a clean chemistry laboratory as part of my independent research project, I was shocked to see this wasteful side of science first-hand. The pictures below are ones I took. From left to right:

  • A tub filling up with single-use pipette tips, which will not be recycled (“please empty when full to general waste bin”).
  • A bin full of discarded nitrile gloves, some used for as little as 5 minutes with no contaminating substances on. This is 1 of about 5 of these bins in this laboratory alone. They fill up daily and are “non-recyclable waste”. This one particularly shocked me.
  • A rack of single-use sample vials. These vials are being used for one stage of an experiment after which they’ll be thrown away.
The pictures I took in the clean chemistry laboratory at NOCS, highlighting the extent of the plastic wastage.

This is just the tip of the iceberg: in 2014, it was estimated that research laboratories generated 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste globally1.

Digging deeper

Seeing as I thought the plastic waste from one laboratory was excessive, I was interested in the scale of plastic waste from labs both in the UK and globally, and what was being done, if anything, to mitigate the issue. I attended a talk on plastic pollution by Professor Ian Williams, a Professor of Applied Environmental Science, where the issue of science’s contribution to plastic pollution was raised. Professor Williams acknowledged the huge issue of single-use plastic in science, particularly in hospitals where everything is single-use to maintain a sterile environment. However, he also said that there is “intent [to reduce the problem], but we are not quite there yet”. An example he raised was the LEAF project, which I hadn’t heard of and so decided to research further.

The LEAF sustainability project3.

LEAF is a new approach to laboratory sustainability, developed by Sustainable UCL. It contains advice for laboratories on how to save plastics and other resources. Laboratories are awarded either a Bronze, Silver or Gold level, depending on their level of sustainability3. Some labs in Southampton have a Bronze Award, but in my opinion, we could do more.

Moving forwards

Luckily, some universities have implemented schemes to avoid wasting as much plastic. When researching more about single-use nitrile gloves, I found out that the University of Edinburgh has a glove recycling scheme in the School of Chemistry that recycled over a million plastic gloves in 20191. Additionally, in 2018 the University of Leeds pledged to remove single-use plastic from the entire university, including its research laboratories, by 20231.

In the future, interdisciplinary modules are ever-more important in bringing people from different sectors together to critically analyse the world we live in, and discuss how we can improve it. This module has made me think more broadly about the drawbacks of science as well as the benefits, and the steps that can be taken to mitigate these drawbacks.

References

  1. Alves, J. et al., (2020). A case report: insight into reducing plastic waste in a microbiology laboratory. In: Access Microbiology (3/3). London: Microbiology Society.
  2. UK Government, (2022). Carrier bag charges: retailers’ responsibilities. [online]. Available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities [accessed 21/03/23].
  3. Sustainability Exchange, (2023). LEAF – A New Approach to Achieving Laboratory Sustainability. [online]. Available at https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/leaf_a_new_approach_to_achieving_laboratory_sus [accessed 23/03/23].

Dystopian Science Fiction, or Real Life? Delving into the Alder Hey Organs Scandal

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I have always had an interest in the ethics behind scientific research, in particular the discussions around using human tissues in research. However, the case study of the Alder Hey Organs Scandal was mentioned in the law and ethics lecture and I had never heard of anything like it. It certainly piqued my interest as retaining children’s organs without consent or permission seemed such a baffling concept to me.

An ethical minefield

A scene from the film adaptation of “Never Let Me Go” where one of the now grown-up children is completing one of his “donations” (https://musingsaboutfilm.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/2-ethical-issues-in-never-let-me-go/)

Alder Hey is an NHS hospital in Liverpool that was the centre of a scandal when in 1999 it came to light that during post-mortem investigations of children between 1988 and 19951, the pathologists were retaining the organs of the deceased children without the knowledge or consent of their parents2. This blatant “harvesting” of organs reminded me of a book I read recently entitled “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. To summarise, the book is the story of 3 children who grow up and realise they are clones of members of the public, and their role is to “donate” their organs until they eventually pass away. I found the dystopian science fiction nature of the book incredibly fascinating, and it shocked me how events that are eerily similar to those in the book have actually happened in most people’s lifetimes.

Why were the organs retained?

After the lecture I wanted to find out more about how activities that could well be described as “dystopian” managed to occur, bypassing the consciences of those involved. I initially assumed that the organs had been used for donations to children that needed transplants, but after thinking more about it whilst doing my research I realised that the organs would not be of use by the time the post-mortem occurred. Then why were the organs taken? Upon reading some journal articles from the years following the scandal I found out that many of the organs were not histologically examined, or used for educational and research purposes.

The headlines in some national newspapers following the scandal (https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822%2801%2900078-1.pdf)

The reason the organs were retained (even for no apparent purpose) lies in the vague wording of the Human Tissue Act 1961 in which pathologists could retain tissues if there was a lack of objection, rather than informed consent. Therefore, by not informing the parents of the children about the reality of post-mortem procedures, there was a lack of objection and thus the ability to retain the tissues1. However, this cannot justify the utter devastation experienced by the parents of these children, who already had experienced the awful loss of a child, as they came to the realisation that their child had been incompletely buried.

Additionally, I researched more about Dr Van Velzen, who was mentioned in many of the papers I read. I discovered that he was a pathologist who was struck off the General Medical Council for storing over 1000 organs from 850 children in jars in a dirty cellar as they slowly decomposed3. This is a particularly uncomfortable revelation as it is practically impossible to justify the decisions made by Dr Van Velzen.

Moving forwards

I found researching this case further incredibly insightful because I was unaware of anything like this happening in the recent past, and there was so much to find out. Cases like the Alder Hey Scandal have a huge importance in future scientific ethics discussions to ensure history does not repeat itself. The scandal led to the Human Tissue Act 2004, which clearly outlines the need for explicit consent for retention of tissues for research or other reasons.

The memorial stone commemorating the children whose organs were retained (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder_Hey_organs_scandal)

Reference List:

  1. Burton, J. L and Wells, M., (2002). The Alder Hey affair. In: Archives of Disease in Childhood (86/1). London: BMJ. pp. 4-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.86.1.4
  2. Bauchner, H. and Vinci, R., (2001). What have we learnt form the Alder Hey affair? In: British Medical Journal (322/7282). London: BMJ. pp. 309-310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.322.7282.309
  3. Dyer, O., (2005). Alder Hey pathologist is struck off medical register. In: British Medical Journal (330/7506). London: BMJ. p. 1464. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.330.7506.1464-a

Building Skills for Beyond Education

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As a third-year natural sciences student here at Southampton, I am assessed in a variety of ways, including essays, scientific reports and presentations. However, being assessed in this way is new to me, and it is one of the things that is exciting me about this module. Another key part of my degree is the focus on interdisciplinary learning across a wide range of modules, which this module will allow me to develop. The content covered in this module is all new to me and looks incredibly interesting, especially the content on prostheses and stem cell ethics. As well as just being interesting, I believe that discussions about the ethics of stem cells in research are crucial in preparing the next generation for leaps and bounds in scientific discovery.

Within the Natural Sciences degree programme you get a large amount of choice, and I mainly focus on organic chemistry and some aspects of biology, including immunotherapy. I also have compulsory NATS modules which I always enjoy, which are accessible to all of us despite all being from different scientific backgrounds. One that particularly resonated with me was about climate chemistry, and was assessed by individual presentations about a chosen topic. The topic I chose was about the impact of shipping on the air quality in port cities, and this is now the basis for my third year project which I am currently working on. The NATS modules are assessed in a way that builds skills outside of written essays and timed examinations, which I believe is really important in preparing us for a life outside of education. This Engineering Replacement Body Parts will build on these skills, including giving presentations, working within a team and expanding knowledge beyond the lecture content.

The stem cell debate is ongoing
An introduction to stem cells and their uses