Plastic

Tiny plastic particles drifting in Earth’s atmosphere could have a significant warming effect, a new study finds

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency announced a joint effort to track microplastics in drinking water—but experts say doing so will be difficult

Water plays a crucial role in how tiny pieces of plastic enter our environment—and us

An estimated 280 million metric tons of plastic waste will enter the air, water, soil, and human bodies every year by 2040, data shows

If you enjoyed Beth Gardiner’s feature about big oil’s bet on plastics, here are more books curated by Scientific American

To keep profits rolling in, oil and gas companies want to turn fossil fuels into a mounting pile of packaging and other plastic products

Microplastics are seemingly everywhere—and now growing research suggests they could be breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria

Synthetic polymers were supposed to free us from the limitations of our natural resources. Instead they led to an environmental crisis

Nanoplastics—particles smaller than a human hair—can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. New research suggests 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics are spread across just the top layer of the North Atlantic

Data from beach cleanups show that banning or taxing single-use plastic bags makes a difference in ecosystems

Much of the U.S. uses single-stream recycling, where plastic, glass and paper go into one bin. Here’s what happens to that material and ways engineering is trying to improve the process

New evidence shows plant leaves absorb airborne microplastics, a previously overlooked route for the particles to enter crops that has implications for ecology and human health