“Microplastics” Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that pollute the environment. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) microplastics are less than 5mm in length. Other plastics are internationally designed to be small, they are called microbeads. Microbeads are tiny pieces of polyethylene plastic added to health and beauty products. Microplastics are not biodegradable. Microplastics consist of Carbon and Hydrogen atoms bound together in polymer chains. Other chemicals such as Phthalates, Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDE s) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) are typically also present in microplastics. T There are two types of Microplastics. Ø Primary Microplastics Ø Secondary Microplastics There are countless sources of both primary and secondary microplastics. v Primary Microplastics Primary microplastics fibres enter to the environment from t...
