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The Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has announced the release of a new OPC-funded microplastics report from a group of leading interdisciplinary scientists, convened by the California Ocean Science Trust (OST). The report provides guidance for addressing microplastic pollution in California’s marine environments and assessing the risk these tiny plastics pose to marine ecosystems, marine animals and humans. The report – Microplastic Pollution in California: A Precautionary Framework and Scientific Guidance to Assess and Address Risk to the Marine Environment – recommends California officials work proactively to manage microplastic waste and reduce microplastic materials at their source considering several factors.

The Microplastic Pollution in California report shares scientific guidance for risk assessment and management of microplastics including the following recommendations:

• California officials should assess and manage microplastic pollution risk in a precautionary manner that is protective of the marine environment and to focus on concentration of microplastics in the aquatic environment while the scientific community learns more about toxicity impacts of plastics and associated pollutants.
• Reducing the sources of microplastics may be the most effective and precautionary measure.
• Identifying the top sources of micro- and macro-plastic emissions into the marine environment in California is crucial for assessing risk and stopping the flow of microplastics now and into the future.
• As science on microplastics evolves, the state should revisit the framework in five years.

The Ocean Protection Council Science Advisory Team working group (Working Group), convened by OST, created the report in response to a 2018 request from the state legislature (SB 1263) to better understand the scale and risk of microplastics. The Working Group recommendations include a technical framework for addressing microplastic pollution and prioritized knowledge gaps to better understand the issue.