Tiny Plastic Particles Can Sneak Into Our Vegetables—and Onto Our Plates?

Plastic Pollution Is Everywhere, and the Problem Is Getting Smaller.
Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are now found in virtually every corner of the planet where we have looked, from the deep ocean trenches to remote mountain peaks. Since the term “microplastic” was first coined just over two decades ago, evidence has shown that organisms across all levels of the food web, from tiny invertebrates to large predators, can ingest these particles. Much of the early focus was on the aquatic environment, where the problem was first recognized, but we now know that terrestrial ecosystems are also affected, though far less studied.