Microplastics are plastic items or fragments measuring less than 5mm in size. They have a plethora of diverse sources, are recognised as pervasive and long-lasting pollutants, and represent an increasing proportion of marine litter.

Since 2011, Dr Natalie Welden and colleagues at the University of Glasgow have been working to better understand the formation, transport and impacts of microplastics in Scottish waters.

Their potential effects on the conditions in marine and terrestrial environments as well as on the health of the organisms that inhabit them are of widespread concern, much of which has centred on the exposure of humans (through our food, water and even the air) and the impacts that this might have.

Of particular interest to researchers has been the impact of plastics from domestic sources, such as plastic fibres, on commercially important seafood species. For example, Scottish langoustine seem to be frequently full of fibres, with over 80% of individuals from the Clyde Sea (the most affected area) having at least a few in their stomachs.

The researchers worked with members of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, MPs and others in Westminster to deliver the first report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics, which focuses primarily on the control of microplastic fibres.

Get more about the research and the Parliamentary report on the School of Interdisciplinary Studies website

First published: 21 September 2021

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