Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

First Advisor

Hubbard, Melanie

Second Advisor

Clore, Amy

Third Advisor

Bohan, Amy

Area of Concentration

Biology, English

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs)1 and nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging as a growing concern within the health field as plastic use continues to rise. These particles have been increasingly recognized for their potential to act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), interfering with normal hormonal signaling and receptor function. This study examines the molecular, hormonal, and reproductive impacts of MPs and NPs on the human body, with particular attention to the importance of endocrine homeostasis and its sensitivity to disruption. In some cases, MPs and NPs and their adsorbed contaminants may mimic endogenous hormones and interact with hormone receptors, further complicating regulatory processes. Special emphasis is placed on their role within the female reproductive system and the mechanisms through which they contribute to endocrine dysfunction. The endocrine system plays a central role in maintaining the body’s ability to function and adapt to varying internal and external conditions by regulating hormone secretion, feedback mechanisms, and physiological balance. It relies on a complex network of interacting components, requiring coordinated communication across multiple organs to regulate hormone secretion and signaling.

Adam Dickinson’s poem “Hormone” reframes how we understand the circulation and vulnerability of hormones within the body, revealing them as deeply responsive to the shifting conditions of our internal and external environments. Hormones do not move through us in isolation; they are deeply impacted by the pressures of chemical, industrial, and technological forces that infiltrate our daily lives, often without our awareness. In this way, our endocrine systems become a reflection of the world’s materials, absorbing disruptions long before we consciously recognize their effects. Through his biochemical poetics, Dickinson exposes how contamination becomes an intimate interaction with the world around us and how the body quietly records the ecological and industrial impacts it encounters.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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