Microplastic

Earth can’t escape this one type of pollution

by JoAnna Wendel
plastics and microplastics in sand on beaches and coasts of the Canary Islands
Shutterstock

Shutterstock

It’s easy to see plastic pollution in the form of sea turtles eating plastic bags or a soda bottle floating down a river.

Shutterstock

But much of Earth’s plastic pollution is invisible to us. These are microplastics: Pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters long.

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