The Cienfuegos Center for Environmental Studies (CEAC) will execute a research contract approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to study the presence of microplastics in Cuban groundwater, according to a report from Cuban News Agency last Wednesday, citing the Cuban Network of Communicators (RECNUC).
The contract is registered under the Coordinated Research Project F33032 of the IAEA, which officially commenced in early October 2026 and is expected to run until 2030. Cuba participates alongside eight other countries: Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, France, India, Morocco, Sweden, and Tunisia.
The full name of the Cuban agreement is "Development of an Integrated Methodological Framework Combining Isotope Hydrology, Environmental Tracers, Hydrogeochemistry, and Microplastic Analysis to Assess Sources of Pollution, Transport Pathways, and Environmental Fate in Cuban Groundwater Systems," as stated by the note from the Cuban News Agency.
The engineer Anamary Acosta Valladares, identified as Research Candidate, will take on the primary scientific responsibility on behalf of the CEAC.
"The project will allow us to integrate isotopic hydrology, environmental tracers, hydrogeochemistry, and microplastic analysis to assess where these contaminants in Cuban groundwater originate, how they are transported, and what their final destination is," explained Acosta Valladares.
The work will begin with the collection of existing information on groundwater quality and the presence of microplastics and other pollutants.
Afterward, the sampling points will be defined, and a monitoring program will be established.
The samples will be processed with quality control at the Environmental Testing Laboratory of CEAC to determine the composition of the contaminants and the source of the water.
The results will also allow for the analysis of the degradation processes of microplastics and their relationship with groundwater recharge and movement, with the aim of producing scientific publications and technical guidelines.
It is important to emphasize that the project does not stem from demonstrated contamination of Cuban aquifers or from an identified health risk: it is an initiative for monitoring and scientific research in a field where, according to the IAEA itself, the sources, transport mechanisms, and impacts of microplastics in aquifers "remain poorly understood due to methodological limitations and a lack of standardized approaches."
The CEAC has accumulated prior experience in this field. The center detected microplastics in the bay of Cienfuegos and recorded 49,562 particles per cubic meter during the dry season of 2020.
In May 2026, he also announced a project to study microplastics in marine organisms using nuclear techniques, and participated in a study on sediment from the Almendares River and Havana Bay published in Marine Pollution Bulletin.
The new contract F33032 focuses on groundwater, a different and less explored environment compared to marine or surface systems.
At the national level, Cuba has documented more than 2,200 sources of water pollution —industrial, agricultural, and urban— which underscores the importance of having monitoring data on the country's aquifers.
Among the expected outcomes of the international project are harmonized protocols for sampling and analysis, a global database on microplastics and isotopes, and case studies from pilot sites that will enhance the technical capabilities of the participating countries.
Related videos:
Filed under: