Microplastics: State of the Science and Future Perspective

By Cayla Cook

Plastic pollution is one of the world’s most pressing and observable modern issues, possessing the potential to significantly impact human health, aquatic species health, and, undoubtedly, environmental health. This pollution is categorized by the size in which plastics occur due, in part, to varied fate and transport in soil, water, and even atmospheric compartments. Beyond the very visible nuisance of macro-and mesoplastics, researchers and regulators are now turning their attention to less visible microplastics, which, according to the California Water Resources Control Board (WRCB), includes nanoplastics.