Adverse health effects of exposure to plastic, microplastics and their additives: environmental, legal and policy implications for Israel.

Background: Israel is a regional "hotspot" of plastic pollution, with little discussion of potential adverse health effects from exposure to plastic. This review aims to stimulate discussion and drive policy by focusing on these adverse health effects.

Main Body: Plastics are synthetic polymers containing additives which can leach from food- and beverage-contact plastic into our food and beverages, and from plastic textiles onto our skin.

Uptake and incorporation of PCBs by eastern Mediterranean rabbitfish that consumed microplastics.

Two experiments were executed to assess the feasibility of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) transfer to fish tissues via MPs as a vector. PCBs that occur in the marine environment were tested for their adsorption to four different MP types. PCB congeners showed the highest adsorption levels to Polypropylene homo-polymer.

Exceptionally high abundances of microplastics in the oligotrophic Israeli Mediterranean coastal waters.

Seasonal sea surface microplastic distribution was recorded at 17 sites along the Israeli Mediterranean coast. Microplastics (0.3-5mm) were found in all samples, with a mean abundance of 7.