Overview
- A PennEnvironment-led study tested waterways across the Chesapeake Bay watershed and found microplastics at almost every site, with microfibers present in 100% of samples.
- Researchers measured four types of microplastics—fibers, fragments, film and beads—and reported that 93% of sites contained fragments, 47% had film, and 27% had beads.
- The authors link the widespread contamination to large volumes of discarded plastic in the U.S., estimating about 35 million tons generated annually and roughly 6% recycled.
- The report warns microplastics harm wildlife, can carry or release pollutants, and have been detected in air, food and human bodies while noting that more study is needed on human health effects.
- To prevent further pollution the researchers call for producer-responsibility laws, recycling and deposit incentives, and phase-outs of unnecessary single-use plastics across the six watershed states and Washington, D.C.