UNEP YEAR BOOK 201120 Antarctic fur seal entangled in plastic sheeting. Credit: British Antarctic Survey 21PLASTIC DEBRIS IN THE OCEAN

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Fur Seal; British Antarctic Survey
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.691.5994; http://www.unep.org/yearbook/2011/pdfs/plastic_debris_in_the_ocean.pdf

are generally considered to be plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres in diameter (Arthur et al. 2009). Persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances (PBTs) have a range of chronic health effects, including endocrine disruption, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. A subset is regulated under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The ocean has become a global repository for much of the waste we generate. Marine debris includes timber, glass, metal and plastic from many different sources. Recently, the accumulation and possible impacts of microplastic particles in the ocean have been recognized as an emerging environmental issue. Some scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of releases of persistent bioaccumulating and toxic compounds (PBTs) from plastic debris. At the same time, the fishing and tourism