Dr. Tong Yang is a postdoctoral researcher currently working at McGill University, Canada (funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation). He completed his Ph.D. in 2022 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich). His research focuses on the formation and release of micro and nano plastics during the use of plastic products and the environmental risk assessment of micro-and nanoplastics (MNPs). He authored 12 peer-reviewed papers including first-author papers on top journals such as Nature Water, ES&T and STOTEN. He serves as an early career editor for the journal EEH, a guest editor for a special issueon MNPs, and he is a reviewer for journals including ES&T and WR, His work has been referenced by UNEP, WHO, and EU reports.

Dr. Tong Yang was invited to delivered a talk on Characterization of theprimary and secondarymicro-/nanoplasticsreleased duringwashing,abrasion, andUV degradation ofpolyester textiles. Synthetic textiles are a significant source of microplastic fiber (MPF pollution, with MPF release during textile washing well-documented as a major release mechanism. However, the impact of weathering including abrasion and UV degradation, on MPF release remains poorly understood. In addition, little is known about the release of nanoplastics during these processes. To address this gap, The authors have developed protocols for extracting and analyzing MNPs released during these processes. The investigation into the origin and chemical composition of these nanoplastics provides valuable insights for both manufacturers and policy makers, aiding efforts to reduce plastic contamination in the textile industry.