FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky legislators heard about innovative strategies to combat microplastic pollution Thursday as the state positions itself as a leader in emerging environmental remediation technology, according to Kentucky Legislative Research Commission testimony before the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.

Microplastics are becoming an increasingly urgent concern nationwide as tiny plastic particles infiltrate water systems and food supplies. The problem gained enough traction that Kentucky was among the first states to file legislation addressing the issue, said committee co-chair Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard.

"It's going to become a very big thing, and one of the reasons Kentucky is looking into it is because we're really leading the way," Smith said during the meeting. "It is certainly not going to go away."

Jian Shi, a professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky's Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, detailed UK research into removing microplastics from water using green solvent extraction. The method relies on a plant-derived liquid solvent to separate plastic particles from water, allowing for recovery rates as high as 95 percent in single-stage applications.

The challenge lies in the particles' size. Traditional filtration and centrifugation become inefficient or prohibitively expensive when dealing with microscopic and nanoscale plastics. Shi said microplastics originate from discarded items in waste streams and degradation of everyday plastic products, including polyvinyl chloride pipes used in water systems.

Sh warned that the pollution is ubiquitous and unavoidable, appearing in tap water, bottled water and food products. The particles work their way through ecosystems and into human bodies through aquatic organisms and food chains.

"This has been a concern from the scientific community because it's possible microplastic or nanoplastic particles will get carried through small living things and to fish and to crab and eventually go to human bodies," Shi said.

Wastewater treatment plants represent the most likely near-term application for green solvent technology, according to Shi's assessment. Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, noted that plastic pipes used in household and municipal water systems could themselves be a source of the problem.

Smith cautioned that skepticism is warranted as companies tout their microplastics removal capabilities, particularly given the pervasiveness of the contamination. "You can be someone who's been very, very cautious and watch what you've eaten and you still are going to have probably as much of it as I do because it's in so many things that we touch every day," he said.