The Risk of Microplastics in the Environment

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In 20 15, ocean graphers estimated there were between 15 and 51 trillion micro plastic particles floating in surface waters world wide. Children and adults might ingest anywhere from dozens to more than 100 thousand microplastic specks each day. Regulators are taking the first step towards quantify the risk to people's health measuring exposure. The tiniest specks called nano plastics smaller than one micrometer worry researches most of all.

Scientists are trying to figure out whether these pervasive plastic specks are dangerous.

Wherever they look – from the bottom of oceans to the top of mountains – researchers are uncovering tiny specks of plastic, known as microplastics.

Scientists are trying to understand the potential impacts of ingesting these pervasive plastics but early results are ambiguous, as some experiments might not reflect the diversity of microplastics that exist in the real world.

This is an audio version of our feature: Microplastics are everywhere — but are they harmful?

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