Penn Teaches Chinatown Students About Microplastics
Penn Engineering researchers brought microplastics detection kits to a Philadelphia classroom to teach students how drinking water is tested.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Primary Education
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Students at Holy Redeemer School in Chinatown received a hands-on microplastics lesson from Penn Engineering researchers. The visit marked the team's first stop in distributing microplastics detection kits to schools across Philadelphia.
Why it matters
Derek Ho said there is not much education around microplastics, and the goal is to teach educators so they can teach it to students. The effort comes as the White House announced federal funding to research and remove microplastics from the human body.
The $144 million federal figure is the only quantitative data available, and it is a national total with no breakdown for Philadelphia schools. How far the kit distribution will reach beyond the first school has not been specified.
The players
Penn Engineering
The engineering school of the University of Pennsylvania, which was already working on microplastics before the federal announcement and is now distributing detection kits to Philadelphia schools.
Derek Ho
A postdoctoral fellow with Penn Engineering's McBride Lab who led the microplastics demonstration and said educators need more training on the topic.
The details
Penn researchers brought detection kits into the classroom and demonstrated how to test drinking water for microplastics. Derek Ho, a postdoctoral fellow with Penn Engineering's McBride Lab, led the demonstration.
Timeline
Earlier this year: The White House announced $144 million in federal funding for microplastics research and removal.
November 5, 2026: Penn researchers held the Holy Redeemer School lesson and began distributing kits across the city.
Roadmap
The White House's $144 million federal microplastics funding sets a national research priority that Penn Engineering's classroom kits now translate into local education. The effort moves the issue from laboratory study toward the teaching of students who will live with its long-term effects.
Parents and educators in Philadelphia may see microplastics detection kits and lessons appear in more schools as Penn's distribution effort expands. The kits give students a direct way to test drinking water for microplastics.
The takeaway
Hands-on testing lets students see microplastics in everyday water rather than only reading about them. Families can ask their child's school whether microplastics is part of its science curriculum.
Further reading
For more on K-12 learning in the region, see Primary Education in Philadelphia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 6abc Action News.
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Should Philadelphia public schools teach students about microplastics in drinking water?
