Groundbreaking SFEI and 5 Gyres microplastics study featured in multiple media outlets
Oct 3, 2019
Concurrent with a sold-out symposium on Oct 2nd, several media outlets, including the Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, and Los Angeles Times, have released the articles relating the alarming findings regarding the pervasive presence of microplastics in our surface waters. The issue of microplastics is global in nature. However, the advances in understanding the magnitude of the problem are happening regionally through partnerships with 5 Gyres, the University of Toronto Trash Team, and other notable leaders. Among the report's many remarkable insights, the discovery that stormwater is an outsized contributor of microplastic particles represents a major finding which will likely lead to further investigations, discussions, and policy actions.
We welcome you to learn more about the study, its findings, and its media coverage.
- Los Angeles Times - Cars pollute the sea too, with tire rubber
- San Jose Mercury News - Plastic tide: 7 trillion bits wash into bay every year
- San Francisco Chronicle - Huge amounts of plastic, much of it from car tires, washing into SF bay, study finds
Associated Staff:
Other Contributors:
Carolynn Box
Programs and Focus Areas:
Clean Water Program
Bay Regional Monitoring Program
Microplastics
Related Projects, News, and Events:
Statewide Plastics Monitoring Strategy: Community Engagement (Project)
If you are a community member interested in plastics and California's environment, then this page is for you. We invite you to peruse the information shared below as well as information on the primary project page. What follows is a description of the opportunities, as a community member, to engage in the development of a statewide plastics monitoring plan.
Microplastic Pollution in San Francisco Bay (Project)
Plastic pollution is gaining global recognition as a threat to the resilience and productivity of ocean ecosystems. However, we are only just beginning to understand the scope and impacts of microplastic particles (less than 5 mm) on coastal and ocean resources, and the San Francisco Bay Area is no exception. A preliminary study of nine water sites in San Francisco Bay, published in 2016, showed greater levels of microplastics than the Great Lakes or Chesapeake Bay.