Word of the Week: Microplastics

Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic pollution which make their way into waterways such as the Great South Bay and its tributaries. Virtually indestructible, they can persist in the environment for hundreds of years, accumulating over time. Marine life often mistake them for food, causing harm to the entire food chain.

They have been found in drinking water and even the air we breathe. The health impacts on humans is being researched.

It is estimated that there are trillions of individual bits of plastic scattered throughout the waterways of the world.

There are two different types of microplastics:

• Primary microplastics are intentionally manufactured at small sizes, such as tiny beads, pellets and fibers
• Secondary microplastics are the result of larger plastics breaking down.

Regardless of their origin, all microplastics pose serious risks to marine and freshwater ecosystems, as well as to human health, due to their ability to absorb and release harmful chemicals, their potential to be ingested by a wide range of organisms, and their role in facilitating the transport of pollutants in aquatic environments.

At our Great South Bay Creek cleanups, you may find tiny scraps of plastic that seem insignificant, but these are actually the bay’s greatest threat when it comes to litter.

Every microplastic we can remove is one more that won’t be able to pollute our waterways and food chain!

Save The Great South Bay is a local environmental non-profit whose mission is to restore water quality in the Great South Bay for future generations to enjoy. Our Word of the Week initiative aims to make the scientific vocabulary of environmentalism accessible to everyone. View past Words of the Week at www.savethegreatsouthbay.org under News & Events in the Photo Gallery.