Microplastics Are a Threat to the Environment

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Almost 400 million tons of plastics are produced each year, a mass projected to more than double by 20 50. Even if all plastic production were mag ly stopped to morrow, existing plastics in land fills and the environment would continue degrading into tiny fragments impossible to collect or clean up. Colemans calls this a plastic time bomb. If you ask me about risks, i am not that frightened to day, but i am a bit concerned about the future, if we do nothing researchers have several theories about how plastic specks might be harmful.

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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