Microplastics Archives

PRESS RELEASE: San Diego Coastkeeper & CERF reach resolution with BNSF Railway over transportation of plastic pellets

February 6, 2026

BNSF Railway, Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation, San Diego Coastkeeper, and North County Transit District resolve claims related to transportation of...

SFEI: The Storm Chasers: How stormwater reveals more than ever about pollution in San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Water quality

January 15, 2026

Highlights Stormwater runoff is the rainwater that washes off landscapes, including cities, and flows towards water bodies. It’s a major...

EOS: Microplastics have widely varying effects on soil

American Geophysical Union

Water quality

October 29, 2025

A new study finds that a microplastic concentration of just 0.4% alters the drainage of soil, which could affect the...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Microplastics invade the gut and change its chemistry

Courthouse News Service

Water quality

October 7, 2025

A new study shows microplastics in the gut could be linked to an array of health issues such as depression...

PRESS RELEASE: First in the nation ban on plastic microbeads in personal products headed to Governor Newsom’s desk

Legislator/Elected Official

Policy and regulation

September 4, 2025

Press release from Assemblymember Tasha Boerner: Today, Assembly Bill (AB) 823 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas) passed the Senate Floor...

NEVADA TODAY: Microplastic Mayhem: How three researchers are analyzing particles in Lake Tahoe

University of Nevada-Reno

Ecosystems Water quality

July 23, 2025

The University of Nevada, Reno research team uses latest tech for long-term project By Madison Kitch, University of Nevada-Reno It’s...

THE CONVERSATION: One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires

The Conversation

Water quality

July 22, 2025

By Boluwatife S. Olubusoye, University of Mississippi and James V Cizdziel, University of Mississippi Every few years, the tires on...

PRESS RELEASE: DTSC proposes adding microplastics to its candidate chemicals list

Department of Toxic Substances Control

ANNOUNCEMENTS

July 22, 2025

Press release from the Department of Toxic Substances Control: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Department of Toxic Substances Control...

GRIST: The oceans may contain much, much more plastic than previously thought

Grist

Ecosystems

July 14, 2025

A new study finds there are 27 million metric tons of invisible plastic particles in the North Atlantic alone. By...

NOTEBOOK FEATURE: Keeping microplastics out of the San Francisco Bay: A conversation with environmental toxicologist Ezra Miller

Robin Meadows

Water quality

June 30, 2025

by Robin Meadows In 2019, the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) published a three-year study of microplastics in the San...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Microplastic pollution near coasts tied to higher disease rates

Courthouse News Service

Water quality

June 18, 2025

In some coastal counties, a bathtub of ocean water holds 10 or more tiny plastic fragments, which researchers link to...

CAL MATTERS: The high cost of fixing Lake Tahoe: Famed alpine lake still murky after decades of efforts

Cal Matters

Policy and regulation Water quality

March 19, 2025

Reporting by Julie Cart, Data analysis by Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Scientists develop foam that can filter up to 99.9% of microplastics from water

Courthouse News Service

Water quality

November 30, 2024

The researchers hope their new method can be scaled up for use in the real world. By Christina van Waasbergen,...

THE CONVERSATION: Microplastic pollution is everywhere, even in the exhaled breath of dolphins – new research

The Conversation

Water quality

October 17, 2024

By Leslie Hart, College of Charleston and Miranda Dziobak, College of Charleston Bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay in Florida and...

NREL: The (in)visible plastic pollution problem

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Science Water quality

October 2, 2024

WaterPACT Project to quantify and reduce plastic waste in US rivers By Anna Nixon, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Rivers...