Reducing Uncertainty and Confronting Ignorance about the Possible Impacts of Weathering Plastic in the Marine Environment

• Published in: Environmental science & technology letters Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 85 - 90
• Main Authors: Jahnke, Annika, Arp, Hans Peter H, Escher, Beate I, Gewert, Berit, Gorokhova, Elena, Kühnel, Dana, Ogonowski, Martin, Potthoff, Annegret, Rummel, Christoph, Schmitt-Jansen, Mechthild, Toorman, Erik, MacLeod, Matthew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 14.03.2017
• Subjects: additives; adverse effects; Applied Environmental Science; aquatic organisms; biofilm; decision making; Earth system science; environmental fate; marine environment; monitoring; oceans; plastics; pollution; risk assessment; tillämpad miljövetenskap; toxicity; uncertainty; weathering

Plastic in the global oceans fulfills two of the three conditions for pollution to pose a planetary boundary threat because it is causing planetary-scale exposure that is not readily reversible. Plastic is a planetary boundary threat if it is having a currently unrecognized disruptive effect on a vi...