Talk:Microplastics/Archive 1

Archive 1

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 24 August 2021 and 20 December 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Rdery.

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Working Bibliography

Here is our current bibliography, which will be expanded upon as we continue to edit the page.

1. Akpan, Nsikan. "Microplastics Lodge in Crab Gills and Guts." Science News. N.p., 8 July 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-lodge-crab-gills-and-guts

2. Goldstein, Miriam C., Marci Rosenberg, and Lanna Cheng. “Increased Oceanic Microplastic Debris Enhances Oviposition in an Endemic Pelagic Insect.”Biology Letters 8.5 (2012): 817–820. PMC. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3440973/

3. Grossman, Elizabeth. "How Plastics from Your Clothes Can End up in Your Fish." Time. Time, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. http://time.com/3669084/plastics-pollution-fish/

4. Leslie, HA. Review of Microplastics in Cosmetics. IVM Institute for Environmental Studies. July 2014. http://www.ivm.vu.nl/en/Images/Plastic%20ingredients%20in%20 Cosmetics%2007-2014%20FINAL_tcm53-409859.pdf

5. Seltenrich, Nate. “New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety.” Environmental Health Perspectives 123.2 (2015): A34–A41.PMC. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4314237/

6. Sundt, Peter and Schulze, Per-Erik (2014) Sources of microplastic-pollution to the marine environment. Report. 108pp. Mepex for the Norwegian Environment Agency. http://www.miljodirektoratet.no/no/Publikasjoner/2015/Januar1/Sources-of-microplastic-pollution-to-the-marine-environment/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Blekkspruten (talk • contribs) 03:54, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Stack0711 (talk) 16:48, 19 February 2015 (UTC)

Course Assignment

We will be working on this throughout the 2015 spring semester Stack0711 (talk) 15:42, 17 February 2015 (UTC)

Summary of plans:

There is currently an existing article on Microplastics and thus we seek to expand upon it as well as flesh out areas of weakness. First, we plan to add to the introduction and go into a little bit of the history of microplastics - briefly how they’re made and drawing on the first recognition of their impacts. Next, we will add to the Classification section and go further into defining “nurdles” with the ultimate aim of replacing the page “plastic particle water pollution” - the current primary reservoir of information on “nurdles.” In order to give validity to the research articles and information we provide on microplastic studies, we also want to add a brief section on quantification or modes of measuring microplastic levels and effects (i.e. through plankton samples, sediment analyses, and so on). The sources section is quite thorough, but we want to provide a clearer picture of the “cycle” microplastics take from the original source, perhaps a commercial product, to some reservoir (like the ocean), back to the organism (human body). With a cohesive understanding of this process, we can delve deeper into the endocrine disruption pathways and get into the known/proposed (?) biological mechanism of action in the organism i.e. do they become integrated into tissues? (We are true science geeks at heart). Figures and diagrams could enhance this part, adding a nice visual to our slab of information. We want to further investigate the geographic distribution of endocrine-related effects, based on high-seafood consumption areas (i.e. do fishing towns have higher rates of microplastic-induced endocrine disruption?). Our last sections will focus on how negative effects of microplastics can be treated and how they can be removed from the environment, via treatment, bioremediation, or policies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mantareina (talk • contribs) 20:22, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Proposing new lead section

1. Introduction + History (little bit) = how they’re made? link out to plastic manufacturing??

2. Classification -Nurdles

-Quantification = how we measure levels/effects of microplastics? (Microplastics are commonly studied in relation to (1) plankton samples, (2) sandy and muddy sediments, (3) vertebrate and invertebrate ingestion, and (4) chemical pollutant interactions. ); Source #1 Ivar do Sul

3. Sources (in marine and freshwater environments)

4. Endocrine Disruption

-Persistent organic pollutants

-biomagnification (link to this?)

-Figure diagramming biological mechanism?

-where do the microplastics go in the organism (i.e. do they become integrated into tissues?)

-Geographic distribution of endocrine-related effects

5. Remediation/Treatment/what’s being done to clean up? link out to garbage patch efforts?

6. Policy/Regulation/Legislation

→Can someone tell me what is the source for the table of "Pollutants and their effects on health"? There is a good amount of non-cited data there. I managed found the contributor in version history but he was banned for multi-account (which doesn't make any sense).112.120.58.206 (talk) 17:01, 4 March 2015 (UTC)OzzieTheHead

Industrial use?

I came to this article from Nurdle, and got there from Plastics extrusion. According to Nurble, microplastics are the small particles of solid plastic used in extrusion and injection molding processes, as seen here: [1]. And yet this article deals exclusively with microplastics as an environmental hazard. The definition of microplastics needs to be unambiguously laid out, and then I suspect there will end up needing separate articles for the industrial pellets and for the environmental contaminants. —Kierkkadon ^{talk/contribs} 14:15, 19 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the description you made is for pellets, which are considered as microplastics.203.198.250.166 (talk) 07:39, 6 February 2015 (UTC) 7:37 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Peer review 3/29 by Yogi44 (talk) 21:33, 30 March 2015 (UTC):

Introduction: -better distinguish primary vs secondary microplastics -end with more conclusive sentence

Classification: -Good job of relating them to things commonly used everyday, such as facial cleansers and cosmetics to draw attention of the reader

Sources: -Make sure to include the harmful effects or something more about each chemical from which the microplastics are made. For a person with little knowledge of chemistry, it may be to difficult to understand what "polymethyl methcrylate" is and what it does -Great job covering a broad spectrum of sources, such as natural calamities

Potential Impacts: -Your source is great from 2008, but maybe include something more recent as well

Persistent Organic Pollutants: I really enjoy the chart; possibly tie in a sentence or two to show its relation to microplastics

Policy: Great job explaining basic terms and future outlook for this product.Great job! Yogi44 (talk) 22:50, 29 March 2015 (UTC)Yogi44

Size

The lead says "..while others in turn define them as smaller than 5 mm recognizing the common use of 333 μm mesh neuston nets for field sampling." I am not a plankton person, but I fail to see the connection which is being made here between 5mm and 333 µm. Would someone care to explain? Plantsurfer (talk) 12:50, 27 May 2014 (UTC)

Even smaller, it is now part of beer. http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/Mikroplastik-in-Mineralwasser-und-Bier,mikroplastik134.html TGCP (talk) 06:19, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

- The sentence is not flowing well but MP si considered between 5 mm and .333 mm for convenience. That's mostly because it's almost impossible to visually sort smaller material (talk) , 7:37 6 February 2015 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.198.250.166 (talk)

The referenced 2009 NOAA technical memo says 5mm in size not 5mm in diameter. Diameter is misleading.--Rjshook (talk) 13:14, 29 August 2018 (UTC)

Should you put "filters in washers" as a solution for the clothing part at least?

I think it isn't there. I'd also like to know if you could currently buy them, buy I suppose that isn't this place's purpose 186.136.234.123 (talk) 21:29, 9 August 2016 (UTC)

Microfibers

This C&EN article might be worse being mentioned: The great lint migration – How tiny synthetic fibers released from clothing are ending up in the environment and in our food --Leyo 14:43, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

Sources

The car and truck tyres section does not inform about how microplastics are being generated from them. Instead all it talks about is how Denmark emits a certain amount of microplastics per year. This subsection should inform the reader about how microplastics are being generated via car and truck tyres and the example of Denmark should be removed, for it is not relevant to the subsection and is distracting. Abj016 (talk) 00:35, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Synthetic Organic Chemicals that have been Detected in the Ocean

This chart is unclear on what it is pertaining to. Are these health effects relating to all organisms, humans alone or organisms residing in the ocean? This chart also should contain a section that answers the question of how much? Meaning, how much of this chemical does the organism need to be exposed to, to begin to have these major health effects. If not stated, then the information becomes misleading and biased towards the "harm" of said chemical. Abj016 (talk) 00:42, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Action for creating awareness

This section is way too small and needs up to date information added. Instead of focusing on an art piece to raise awareness, the inclusion of nonprofits and government funded research that are ongoing (this year) should be focused on. It can also include seminars that are happening around beach areas about microplastics to raise awareness. Abj016 (talk) 00:52, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

WikiProject Sanitation & Readability

Thank you, one and all, for working on the Microplastics article. The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance has an ongoing project for upgrading pages related to Sustainable Development Goal 6 -- clean water and sanitation. Microplastics is on our list because sanitation includes solid waste management. Thank You for being part of this important work: education can go a long way toward protecting our planet.

We write to ask editors to pay special attention to "readability." The article scores 33 out of 100, and the lead scores 32 out of 100. Our goal is to reach 60, if at all possible. Here's the link where you can check readability for any wikipedia article: http://www.readabilityofwikipedia.com/ Good luck with this important project.PlanetCare (talk) 01:52, 18 November 2017 (UTC)PlanetCare (talk) 20:21, 30 March 2022 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)

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Wastewater treatment plants = Sewage treatment plants in this article

The article has separate sections for "Wastewater treatment plants" and "Sewage treatment plants." All the references currently cited refer to the same kind of plants, i.e. municipal sewage treatment plants. I plan to merge these two sections. (While the term "wastewater treatment plant" can be a broader term, perhaps referring to treatment of municipal sewage, or industrial waste, or agricultural waste, that is not the case in this article.) Moreau1 (talk) 02:30, 19 June 2018 (UTC)

Done. Moreau1 (talk) 04:41, 8 July 2018 (UTC)

Risk assessment

The following recent publications on the risk assessment of microplastics in water might be considered in the article:

• Gert Everaert, Lisbeth Van Cauwenberghe, Maarten De Rijcke, Albert A. Koelmans, Jan Mees, Michiel Vandegehuchte, Colin R. Janssen (2018). "Risk assessment of microplastics in the ocean: Modelling approach and first conclusions". Environmental Pollution. 242: 1930–1938. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.07.069.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Véronique Adam, Tong Yang, Bernd Nowack. "Towards an Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment of Microplastics: Comparison of Available Hazard and Exposure Data in Freshwaters". Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. doi:10.1002/etc.4323.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

--Leyo 09:12, 17 December 2018 (UTC)

808 trillion beads

As the article is semi-protected, I can't edit this directly - perhaps someone else would like to.

Per the source, "808 trillion beads" is not the amount a single household discharges each day; it was the estimated daily discharge of microbeads across the entire USA in 2015. 193.116.87.247 (talk) 23:34, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastic in a remote mountain catchment

Hi, Just a heads up about some new research to add to the wiki. Steve Allen and Dr. Deonie Allen led a team in france to illustrate the atmospheric transport of microplastics. It has recieved world wide attention. Here is a link to the paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0335-5.epdf?author_access_token=ZDXR29aViFmhd52eu7Q41tRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Ow-nB8hh1BAgbijE7xDnKzMKvAV_9SBe87Yq-fG8cjudkM834KTPVBNULBMXXIv56HhqvskUObWg55fIAgGEXUVx-NTSvHFLiev3vW2OcKWA%3D%3D Cheers (Thermalsailors (talk) 12:43, 18 April 2019 (UTC))

Microfibres are not automatically primary microplastics?

Hello, dear Wikipedia editors,

I think that this statement in "Microplastics" section of Wikipedia is not correct: "Primary microplastics are any plastic fragments or particles that are already 5.0 mm in size or less before entering the environment. These include microfibers from clothing.."

Microfibres in clothing or in cleaning textiles are either polymer staple fibres (typical length is >> 40 mm) or even endless "spunbond" /filament fibres. As the microplastics definition says "smaller than 5 mm in length", microfibers are not primary microplastics, even though their diameter is 10 µm or less. Basically, they are long, thin plastic rods.

However, upon laundering, microfiber may result in formation of degradation fragments that are smaller in length than 5mm. But that debris is then called secondary microplastics per definition. Moreover, there is no difference compared to ANY synthetic polymer fibre (even fragments from very coarse synthetic fibres like in padding) generating secondary microplastic debris during washing or other use.

I think that there may be a basic misunderstanding or misinterpretation as the words "microplastics" and "microfibers made from plastics" seem to be so similar.

Or am I wrong? I can find similar statements also in the "microfiber" section of Wikipedia. I hope that I am commenting in the right way here as this is my first Wikipedia comment...

Best regards, I am interested to hear your opinion - and also thanks for your work, Jochen (Weinheim / Germany) — Preceding unsigned comment added by JochenWG (talk • contribs) 15:08, 25 April 2019 (UTC)

Hi Jochen, I am not a Wikipedia editor but wanted to help clarify on the topic if I can. Primary microplastics are plastics that are manufactured as microplastics (think beads in facewash, nurdles, etc). Microfibers are considered secondary microplastics because they result from the degradation of a larger product. So yes, you are right that the initial statement is not correct. Thanks for your thorough investigation. Anna.bolm (talk) 18:34, 5 October 2019 (UTC)

Edit request, 2.4 Clothing

Please change "Anthropomorphic" to "Anthropogenic".

 Already done --Trialpears (talk) 21:00, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 30 July 2019

Please change X =Airborne microplastics have been detected in the atmosphere, as well as indoors and outdoors. A 2017 study found indoor airborne microfiber concentrations between 1.0–60.0 microfibers per cubic meter (33% of which were found to be microplastics).[87] Another study looked at microplastic in the street dust of Tehran and found 2,649 particles of microplastic within 10 samples of street dust, with ranging samples concentrations from 83 particle – 605 particles (+/- 10) per 30.0 g of street dust.[88] However, much like freshwater ecosystems and soil, more studies are needed to understand the full impact and significance of airborne microplastics.[48] to Y= Airborne microplastics transport has been detected in remote mountain atmospheric fallout in a recent study in the french Pyrenees. The study found an average of 365 p/m2 per day depositing more than 100km from the nearest possible source. The study wash published to world wide attention in Nature Geoscience A 2017 study found indoor airborne microfiber concentrations between 1.0–60.0 microfibers per cubic meter (33% of which were found to be microplastics).[87] Another study looked at microplastic in the street dust of Tehran and found 2,649 particles of microplastic within 10 samples of street dust, with ranging samples concentrations from 83 particle – 605 particles (+/- 10) per 30.0 g of street dust.[88] However, much like freshwater ecosystems and soil, more studies are needed to understand the full impact and significance of airborne microplastics.[48]recent Nature Geoscience article https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0335-5 to Microplastics Air. It is showing an average 365 per sqm/day microplastic particles depositing in a remote mountain area in the French Pyrenees. This is the first study to show atmospheric transport (airborne microplastic). Thanks Thermalsailors (talk) 09:23, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Melmann 17:33, 31 July 2019 (UTC)

 Not done: This text is not appropriate to include in it's current shape. It gives too much emphasis to this one study, replaces the more general discription with specific details, uses promotional language and doubiously claim "This is the first study to show atmospheric transport". The source can be used but the text has to be significantly rewritten. --Trialpears (talk) 21:07, 20 August 2019 (UTC)

References

Microplastics as vectors for toxic chemicals in the environment

I think this section also should be included, describing how microplastics carry toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants between different environment media. By describing is by discussing the adsorption and desorption mechanism. This can explain are organism are exposed to microplastics toxicity.

This article could be useful

•Verla, A.W., Enyoh, C.E., Verla, E.N. Nwanorh K.O. (2019). Microplastic–toxic chemical interaction: a review study on quantified levels, mechanism and implication. Springer Nature Applied Sciences 1: 1400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-1352-0

Cenyoh (talk) 03:54, 21 October 2019 (UTC)

Requested move 20 November 2019

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: consensus not to move the page to the proposed title at this time, per the discussion below. Dekimasuよ! 09:17, 6 December 2019 (UTC)

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Microplastics → Microplastic – Per WP:PLURAL and plastic, microbead and microfiber. _{ZXCVBNM (TALK)} 17:28, 20 November 2019 (UTC) —Relisting. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 11:51, 28 November 2019 (UTC)

• Oppose – Unlike plastic, microbead and microfiber cited by nom, the subject here is as "substance" described always by the plural or "collective" noun microplastics. Dicklyon (talk) 06:02, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose – It's something I might have proposed, and have been told why it wasn't appropriate. Tony (talk) 11:05, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose – "microplastics" as a substance are almost always referred to in the plural. Randywombat (talk) 14:41, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose per the above; this is obviously a WP:PLURAL case. Just Google it; "microplastics" has about 3 million hits, and "a micropastic" only 17,000, and of those a large proportion are adjectival usage ("a microplastic particle"). Use of singular "[a] microplastic" is rare in actually reliable sources, thought not 100% absent. The top Google result that matches those criteria is this one [2], but it only occurs in the headline, and may simply be a typo.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  18:51, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
• Oppose per SMcCandlish. Jusdafax (talk) 15:32, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

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The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Uncited claims

This article has many bold claims about the effects of microplastics that are all marked as "citation needed". If you do not have citations for these claims, they should not be in the article.

In particular:

"PET, a common durable plastic used in bottled water, juice and soda leaches antimony in amounts that exceed U.S. safety guidelines under high temperature. HDPE commonly used in food packaging can percolate estrogenic chemicals when exposed to heat, boiling water and sunlight causes breast cancer, endometriosis, altered sex ratios, testicular cancer, poor semen quality, early puberty and malformations of the reproductive tract. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used to wrap meat and sandwiches, floats in the tub in the form of bath toys, makes for stylish jackets and household plumbing, leaches toxic chemicals when in contact with water. Four chemical softeners used with PVC interfere with the body’s production of hormones. Polystyrene, a common type of plastic used in packaging for takeout food and the fishing industry, can release carcinogen when in contact with hot beverages."

As far as I know none of these claims have survived peer review and make this article come across as alarmist. The line about "bath toys, makes for stylish jackets and household plumbing" is simply designed to provoke fear without a providing any context or justification for these claims.

Agree. Randywombat (talk) 10:33, 1 September 2020 (UTC)

Fall 2020 WikiEd Working Bibliography

I am intending on adding to the Biological integration into Organisms section as well as persistent organic pollutants. My additions will focus on the effect on bivalves. Hope this is reasonable!

1. Guilhermino L., Vieira L. R., Ribeiro D., Tavares A. S., Cardoso V., Alves A., Almeida J. M. 2018. Uptake and effects of the antimicrobial florfenicol, microplastics and their mixtures on freshwater exotic invasive bivalve Corbicula fluminea. Sci Tot Env (622): 1131–1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.020
2. Bringer A., Thomas H., Prunier G., Dubillot E., Bossut N., Churlaud C., Clérandeau C., Le Bihanic F., Cachot J. 2020. High density polyethylene (HDPE) microplastics impair development and swimming activity of Pacific oyster D-larvae, Crassostrea gigas, depending on particle size. Env Pol (260). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.113978
3. Sun S., Shi W., Tang Y., Han Y., Du X., Zhou W., Hu Y., Zhou C., Liu G. 2020. Immunotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons and microplastics alone or in combination to a bivalve species: Synergic impacts and potential toxication mechanisms. Sci Tot Env (728). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138852
4. Tang Y., Zhou W., Sun S., Du X., Han Y., Shi W., Liu G. 2020. Immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity of bisphenol A and microplastics alone or in combination to a bivalve species, Tegillarca granosa. Env Pol (265). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115115
5. Tang Y., Rong J., Guan X., Zha S., Shi W., Han Y., Du X., Wu F., Huang W., Liu G. 2020. Immunotoxicity of microplastics and two persistent organic pollutants alone or in combination to a bivalve species. Env Pol (258). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113845
6. Gardon T., Morvan L., Huvet A., Quillien V., Soyez C., Le Moullac G., Le Luyer J. 2020. Microplastics induce dose-specific transcriptomic disruptions in energy metabolism and immunity of the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera. Env Pol (266). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115180
7. Bour A., Haarr A., Keiter S., Hylland K. 2018. Environmentally relevant microplastic exposure affects sediment-dwelling bivalves. Env Pol (236): 652–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.006
8. Tallec K., Huvet A., Di Poi C., González-Fernández C., Lambert C., Petton B., Le Goïc N., Berchel M., Soudant P., Paul-Pont I. 2018. Nanoplastics impaired oyster free living stages, gametes and embryos. Env Pol (242): 1226–1235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.08.020
9. Oliveira P., Barboza L. G. A., Branco V., Figueiredo N., Carvalho C., Guilhermino L. 2018. Effects of microplastics and mercury in the freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774): Filtration rate, biochemical biomarkers and mercury bioconcentration. Ecotox & Env Saf (164): 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.07.062
10. Christoforou E., Dominoni D. M., Lindström J., Stilo G., Spatharis S. 2020. Effects of long-term exposure to microfibers on ecosystem services provided by coastal mussels. Env Pol (266). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115184

Gpappy (talk) 17:04, 30 November 2020 (UTC)

Seems like these edits were done. --Leyo 07:45, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Plastic pellet redirect?

Color chart's image for plastic color samples prior to molding and manufacture leads here, mentioning the plastic pellets that are moletn down to form a product, but this article seems to be about microplastics, a completely different thing dealing with pollution. I don't know how this redirect mishap happened, and I'd like to fix it, but I can't find what the original article might have been (if any). Failing that, would redirecting to Plastic extrusion be enough? I fear there might be other processes where plastic pellets are used. 185.163.103.83 (talk) 16:05, 26 March 2021 (UTC)

Cleaned up human microplastics section

There were lots of unsourced statements in there, or statements that didn't match the actual cited works. There's a great deal of uncertainty about the effects of microplastics on humans, if they indeed have any; no significant effects have been found and present exposure levels for most people are thought to be safe but research is ongoing. Titanium Dragon (talk) 03:45, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

What about using the following new Nature publication to bring this section up-to-date?

Lim, XiaoZhi (2021-05-06). "Microplastics are everywhere — but are they harmful?". Nature. 593 (7857): 22–25. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01143-3.

--Leyo 07:41, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

Alternative to "matrices"?

The beginning of this section reads: "Due to their ubiquity in the environment, microplastics are widespread among the different matrices." For readability, I think it would be helpful to phrase this a different way, as there is no Wikilink I can think of that would explain to a general reader what is meant by "matrices" in this context. Does anyone with knowledge of this terminology have any suggestions? Pyrrho the Skeptic (talk) 20:23, 22 July 2021 (UTC)

thank you. This has now been addressed (see talk page of ocean as well). EMsmile (talk) 10:35, 2 August 2021 (UTC)

The term (environmental) matrices is well-established in environmental sciences. --Leyo 12:30, 2 August 2021 (UTC)

This may be so but we are trying to write articles that lay persons can understand. As a layperson, the term is unclear (for me) and my proposed change is still scientifically correct, I believe (see talk page of ocean). Also, if it's so well established, how come we have no Wikipedia article for it, or an article that we could wikilink? EMsmile (talk) 13:24, 2 August 2021 (UTC)

I did some editing for readability while in consultation with Tim Jickells, whose book titled Marine Geochemistry is cited in the Oceans article. He offered specific suggestions for editing the first few sentences to make them accessible to general readers, while retaining accuracy. He also gave me some examples to further explain what "marine particles" are. These clarifications allowed us to "excerpt" the first sentences of Microplastics for use in the Oceans article, which is also helping with. Thank you, Dr. Jickells.PlanetCare (talk) 14:25, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

The title of Dr. Jickells' book is Marine Geochemistry.PlanetCare (talk) 15:35, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

So the new sentence now says Microplastics are also found within the many other types of marine particles such as dead biological material (tissue and shells) and some soil particles (blown in by wind and carried to the ocean by rivers).. Seems clearer to me, thanks PlanetCare. EMsmile (talk) 13:03, 26 August 2021 (UTC)

That is much improved, in my view. Thanks to all who followed up with this request. Pyrrho the Skeptic (talk) 15:36, 26 August 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for the appreciation, as it does help to know the readability edits are improvements that don't detract from the science.PlanetCare (talk) 16:42, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Removed external links

I have removed these external links as I don't think they are sufficiently important to be listed under external links. Some of the news articles could possibly be converted to in-line citations. Some of the video links are broken.

News

• "The plastic in our bodies," Politico Europe, 5 May 2019
• "Microplastics can also travel by wind, new study shows," ZME Science, 15 April 2019
• "Microplastic pollution revealed 'absolutely everywhere' by new research," The Guardian, 7 March 2019
• "Plastic straws are little, but they are part of a huge problem," Washington Post, 9 September 2018
• "Microplastic pollution in oceans is far worse than feared, say scientists," The Guardian, March 2018

Films

• Plastic Planet, Werner Boote and Gerhard Pretting
• Addicted To Plastic on YouTube
• Addicted to Plastic at Bullfrog Films and at Cryptic Moth
• Plasticized on YouTube
• The problem with microplastics on YouTube

EMsmile (talk) 07:02, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

The removal of the news seems to be okay as the selection looks quite arbitrary. Concerning the films, I am, however, not entirely sure in all cases. --Leyo 13:10, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

Hi Leyo, which of the films would you propose to put back in? They should be specifically about microplastics, not any plastics and should be by a reputable source with high view rates to make them significant. EMsmile (talk) 01:37, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

Well, I think that the two following should be in:

• The problem with microplastics on YouTube by the European Chemicals Agency provides a good overview on the topic
• Plasticized on YouTube shows e.g. the sampling of microplastics in oceans and may be viewed in full length free of charge

--Leyo 19:56, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

OK, I have put those two youtube links back in, together with your annotation of why they are important. EMsmile (talk) 04:37, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Removed "further reading" list

I have removed this further reading list as it mainly contains journal articles which could be converted to inline citations instead. For a rapidly developing topic like this one, such a "further reading" list could become extremely long (and arbitrary) if we add any new publications that we come across.

• Blair Crawford, Christopher; Quinn, Brian (2017). Microplastic Pollutants (1st ed.). Elsevier Science. ISBN 978-0-12-809406-8.
• Eerkes-Medrano, Dafne; Thompson, Richard C.; Aldridge, David C. (2015). "Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs". Water Research. 75: 63–82. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.012. PMID 25746963.
• Lusher, Amy; Hollman, Peter; Mendoza-Hill, Jeremy (2017). "Microplastics in fisheries and aquaculture: status of knowledge on their occurrence and implications for aquatic organisms and food safety" (PDF). Fao Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper Nr. 615. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• Rocha-Santos, Teresa; Duarte, Armando C. (2015). "A critical overview of the analytical approaches to the occurrence, the fate and the behavior of microplastics in the environment". TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 65: 47–53. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2014.10.011.
• Wagner, Martin; Scherer, Christian; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Brennholt, Nicole; Bourrain, Xavier; Buchinger, Sebastian; Fries, Elke; Grosbois, Cécile; Klasmeier, Jörg; Marti, Teresa; Rodriguez-Mozaz, Sara; Urbatzka, Ralph; Vethaak, A Dick; Winther-Nielsen, Margrethe; Reifferscheid, Georg (2014). "Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: What we know and what we need to know". Environmental Sciences Europe. 26 (1): 12. doi:10.1186/s12302-014-0012-7. PMC 5566174. PMID 28936382.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
• SAPEA, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (2019). A Scientific Perspective on Microplastics in Nature and Society. https://www.sapea.info/topics/microplastics/: SAPEA, Science Advice for Policy by European Academies. ISBN 978-3-9820301-0-4. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |location= (help)
• Acharya, Anjali (2018). "Planet over Plastic: Addressing East Asia's Growing Environmental Crisis". World Bank. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
• Yu, Ping; Liu, Zhiquan; Wu, Donglei; Chen, Minghai; Lv, Weiwei; Zhao, Yunlong (2018). "Accumulation of polystyrene microplastics in juvenile Eriocheir sinensis and oxidative stress effects in the liver". Aquatic Toxicology. 200: 28–36. doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.04.015. PMID 29709883.

EMsmile (talk) 07:06, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

I agree that no papers on specific issues (such as the last one) or non-recent literature should be provided in such a list. However, have a list of recent review papers (published in good journals) would have some merit. --Leyo 19:28, 4 August 2021 (UTC)

If recent review papers in good journals are available shouldn't they rather be used for inline citations? If so, then there is no need to list them additionally in a "further reading" list in my opinion. EMsmile (talk) 02:34, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

Not necessarily. --Leyo 23:20, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

Plans to consolidate the info on "microplastics in oceans" in just one article

I noticed that the information about microplastics in oceans is spread over several articles: this one and also the one on marine pollution. I propose to move the text that covers microplastics in oceans from this article to marine pollution and then just leaving an excerpt and links. This way, it would be clear where new content should be added in future (in just one article, not two). Some of it is also covered in the article on Plastic pollution. Eventually, there could be merit in splitting it off into a separate article, which called be called Marine pollution with plastics. But let's first consolidate it in one spot. EMsmile (talk) 02:39, 27 August 2021 (UTC)

The text in Marine pollution#Microplastics should not become longer. It is rather supposed to be a summary since this article has a rather broad topic. --Leyo 23:19, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

@Leyo Well, where should the details about microplastics in oceans go then? I think Marine pollution#Microplastics would be a suitable place but would you favor a new stand-alone article for it? At the moment it's spread across several articles; I would like to establish a "central" spot for it, preferably in an existing article. If not, then in a new article. EMsmile (talk) 14:11, 30 August 2021 (UTC)

Perhaps there is a case for an article dealing generally with plastic pollution in the ocean. This would include things like ghost nets in addition to microplastics. Ocean microplastic often starts out as macroplastic, such as windblown plastic bags that degrade into microplastics, so it would make sense for the article to cover the whole size range. — Epipelagic (talk) 09:31, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

That's a good point. Do you feel that it would be beneficial to start a new article? I am undecided. A new article might be nice so that we can have everything in one place and updated (headings could be: type of plastic pollution, mechanisms, scale of the problem, causes, potential solutions, political commitments, society and culture), and let the other articles later link to it. But the disadvantage of a new article is that it will start off with low pageviews (and potentially linger with low pageviews for a while). The plastic pollution article also has quite a bit of content about it (which could be moved): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_pollution#Effects_of_plastic_on_oceans . I think I am currently leaning towards the idea of a new article. If yes, then what should it be called? Options: Marine pollution with plastics, Plastic pollution in the ocean, Ocean pollution with plastics. Is it better to have "marine" in the title or "ocean"? EMsmile (talk) 13:39, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

On Google Search, plastic pairs three times as often with ocean as with marine. But on Google Scholar it goes the other way, and plastic pairs three times as often with marine as with ocean. So you might as well toss a coin. It's only a preference, but I would go for Plastic pollution in the ocean. — Epipelagic (talk) 15:44, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

I oppose creating another article. We currently have the following articles that contain information on marine microplastics:

• Microplastics
• Plastic pollution
• Plastic soup
• Great Pacific garbage patch
• Garbage patch
• Marine debris
• Marine pollution

I prefer having the main information on marine microplastics in Microplastics and summaries (with {{Main|Microplastics#…}}) in the others. --Leyo 16:21, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

I would be good, Leyo, if you provided more rational for your opinion. Why do you oppose creation of a new article? And why do you oppose the content to be included in marine pollution? By the way, there is also content about microplastics here in the SDG 14 article (recently added by me and a content expert; it's actually what prompted me to think about where the bulk of the microplastics content should be located9. I think User:Epipelagic made a good point that microplastics in oceans cannot be looked at in isolation because it often is connected to "larger" plastics, which later produces the microplastics. Therefore, placing the content in Microplastics won't really work, it would be too limiting and not intuitive. It needs to be in a bigger article. I actually think it could fit in marine pollution but right from the start you argued against it. When you look at how the content is dealt with at Plastic pollution, I think it becomes clear that splitting this off into a sub-article would have its merits (as the content is likely to become longer and more detailed over time). - And I like the proposed name by Epipelagic: Plastic pollution in the ocean. I guess the word "marine" is an adjective and scientists like to use it. But as a layperson (and non English native speaker) I always have to remind myself that marine = ocean. Wikipedia says here: Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. - I guess "oceanic" is also an adjective for ocean. EMsmile (talk) 02:13, 1 September 2021 (UTC)

Well, we have information on that matter already in several articles. Therefore, it would not be a good idea to even create more articles. I am aware that your suggestion includes trimming too lengthy information from other articles. However, the respective sections would likely refilled in future, creating redundancy. BTW: Your addition to Sustainable Development Goal 14#Marine pollution from plastics is too long in my opinion.

In my view, Microplastics and Plastic pollution are possible articles for the content, as they are specific enough. On the other hand, Marine pollution is way too unspecific to host the main content related to microplastics in oceans. --Leyo 00:07, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Regarding "However, the respective sections would likely refilled in future, creating redundancy." I think this is not a real risk because in that location would most likely be an excerpt and a clear link to the new sub-article. So people will understand that there is a sub-article on the topic and add new content there rather. Of course one can never be totally sure where people add content (especially students) but that's why we would have the articles on our watchlist. I agree with you that the content at SDG 14 about microplastics is too long. That's exactly what prompted me to investigate where the main location of "microplastics in oceans" should be - and then I found it scattered all over the place.. So far, we have one user in favour of a stand-alone article (User:Epipelagic) and one user against (you). I am leaning towards favoring a new article. I guess we could wait a few days to collect other opinions. I am also pinging three users whom I am working with on several articles; not because I think they will support my point but just because it would be good to get more opinions. Perhaps there is a third option I haven't thought of yet: sadads, PlanetCare, ASRASR. Overall, I think the topic of plastics in microplastics in oceans will become bigger in future which I think speaks for having a stand-alone article. EMsmile (talk) 01:35, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Here is another suggestion: we could take the article Plastic soup, rename it and rework it. That article starts with "Plastic soup is a term referring to pollution of the sea by plastics in general, ranging from large pieces of fishing gear that can entrap marine animals to the microplastics and nanoplastics that result from the breakdown or photodegradation of plastic waste in surface waters, rivers or oceans." It only gets about 20 pageviews per day and is a stub. Another option is to take the existing article on Great Pacific garbage patch and broaden its content and change its name, so that "Great Pacific garbage patch" becomes a sub-heading in an article called "Plastic pollution in oceans". Oh wait, there is also an article called Garbage patch, that's another candidate for reworking. I think once we have defined ONE main location (whether it's a new article or a re-worked existing one), then it'll be easy to clean up the rest and ensure they all link across to the main location. EMsmile (talk) 01:35, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

The option with renaming and expanding Plastic soup would have some merit. Firstly, we wouldn't increase the number of articles on that topic, and secondly, its current interwikilink to de:Plastikmüll in den Ozeanen would match thereafter. --Leyo 20:45, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Well that sort of language link can easily be adjusted. But the article de:Plastikmüll in den Ozeanen looks exactly like what I'd have in mind for the English article (trust the German Wikipedia to have a better article on this topic than the English Wikipedia!). One option might be to just translate the German article to English and then integrate the existing English text blocks (from a range of articles) into that. I have never done an article translation though. I guess one problem would be that the references would all (or mostly) be in German. But at the very least, we could use the same structure as their article. And doesn't the fact that the German Wikipedia has de:Plastikmüll in den Ozeanen speak for having an English article called "Plastic pollution in oceans"? We don't have to start with a blank page / new article, we could take Plastic soup or Garbage patch as a starting point, rename it and then expand it. EMsmile (talk) 05:04, 3 September 2021 (UTC)

I would like to progress this now. I think the best approach is to take Plastic soup and expand it and rename it to Plastic pollution in the ocean (or Plastic pollution in oceans?). I plan to work on that this week. Please comment if you have further suggestions. What it will involve in the first instance is to move a lot of the material from other articles to Plastic soup and to just leave short summaries and links behind. EMsmile (talk) 00:45, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Actually I did a quick Google search an Plastic pollution in the ocean is more common than Plastic pollution in oceans. Another term that comes up in Google searches is Ocean plastic pollution. That might be better because then we don't need the "in the" in the title? EMsmile (talk) 01:25, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Done. Please head to plastic soup's talk page for further discussion on this. EMsmile (talk) 04:22, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Introduction to Policy Analysis

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 28 March 2022 and 30 May 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Chloeurofsky (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Txperalt, Chloeurofsky.