There are 150 million tons of plastic waste circulating in the oceans, and eight million tons of plastic are added every year. Unlike paper or food, plastic does not decompose. Once in the ocean, plastic waste does not simply disappear but just keeps drifting. According to one report, there may be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans by 2050.
　In the sea, the movement of the waves breaks plastic into smaller and smaller pieces. These are called “microplastics.” The threat posed by microplastics is serious. They are extremely dangerous because they tend to attract poisonous chemicals just as magnets attract iron.
　Microplastics are now found in every ocean. Small fish eat microplastics and larger fish eat the smaller fish. Then humans catch the fish for food. This means that in this food chain, the amount of poisonous substances becomes more concentrated. As a result, microplastics are becoming a major threat not only to the environment but also to living creatures, including human beings.