Exposure of U.S. adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins.

We investigated microplastic (MP) contamination in 16 commonly-consumed protein products (seafoods, terrestrial meats, and plant-based proteins) purchased in the United States (U.S.) with different levels of processing (unprocessed, minimally-processed, and highly-processed), brands (1 - 4 per product type, depending on availability) and store types (conventional supermarket and grocer featuring mostly natural/organic products).

The United States' contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean.

Plastic waste affects environmental quality and ecosystem health. In 2010, an estimated 5 to 13 million metric tons (Mt) of plastic waste entered the ocean from both developing countries with insufficient solid waste infrastructure and high-income countries with very high waste generation. We demonstrate that, in 2016, the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the world (42.

Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. In response, multilevel mitigation strategies are being adopted but with a lack of quantitative assessment of how such strategies reduce plastic emissions. We assessed the impact of three broad management strategies, plastic waste reduction, waste management, and environmental recovery, at different levels of effort to estimate plastic emissions to 2030 for 173 countries.

A global assessment of the relationship between anthropogenic debris on land and the seafloor.

Pollution of coastal and marine environments by mismanaged anthropogenic debris is a global threat requiring complex, multilateral solutions and mitigation strategies. International efforts to catalogue and quantify the density, extent and nature of mismanaged waste have not yet assessed the heterogeneity of debris between nearby areas. Better understanding of how debris types and density can be used as a proxy between regions and between land and seafloor habitats at a global scale can aid in developing cost effective and representative debris monitoring systems.

Estimating the Mass of Chemicals Associated with Ocean Plastic Pollution to Inform Mitigation Efforts.

Plastic pollution in the marine environment is well documented. What remains less recognized and understood are the chemicals associated with it. Plastics enter the ocean with unreacted monomers, oligomers, and additives, which can leach over time.

Capturing microfibers - marketed technologies reduce microfiber emissions from washing machines.

Microfibers are a common type of microplastic. One known source of microfibers to the environment is domestic laundering, which can release thousands of fibers into washing machine effluent with every wash. Here, we adapted existing methods to measure the length, count and weight of microfibers in laundry effluent.

Spatial and temporal patterns of stranded intertidal marine debris: is there a picture of global change?

Floating and stranded marine debris is widespread. Increasing sea levels and altered rainfall, solar radiation, wind speed, waves, and oceanic currents associated with climatic change are likely to transfer more debris from coastal cities into marine and coastal habitats. Marine debris causes economic and ecological impacts, but understanding the scope of these requires quantitative information on spatial patterns and trends in the amounts and types of debris at a global scale.