Are Microplastics in Our Water Becoming a Macroproblem?

October 26, 2015 - You might not be able to see them, but they're in the water. Although trash heaps are easier to spot inwaterways, microplastics—pieces of plastic smaller than five millimeters—have started to stir more concern. Acting assponges, the pieces soak up the chemicals around them and often make their way through the food chain, ending up on dinnerplates. Most microplastics are created over time from larger pieces or directly from microbeads in products like face washes or toothpaste. The pieces are so small they pass through waste treatment plants and into waterways.
This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society.

Like the food particles that clump together in the middle of a kitchen sink, plastic debris is gathering in the deepest reaches of the ocean.

A new study published in Geochemical Perspectives found evidence of microplastic (plastic smaller than five millimeters) gathering in large quantities in the deepest parts of the oceans, and that could account for “missing” plastic that has stumped scientists to date.

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science analyzed thirteen regions by looking at previous studies and collecting their own samples. Earlier this year, a plastic bag was found in the deepest reaches of the Mariana Trench, 36,000 feet below the surface. Researchers spotted it while using video to survey the region for

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