Did you know that the average person ingests 100,000 pieces of microplastic per year? That number doubles if you only drink bottled water. The North Carolina Coastal Federation hosted the virtual North Carolina Coastal Microplastics Forum on July 15th, 2021 to hear the latest research on microplastics pollution, which has become a major environmental problem that requires urgent action. Learn about the different types of microplastics pollution, the sources and pathways of these contaminants into our waterways, the risks they pose to both the natural environment and human health, as well as current federal and state policies aimed to govern microplastics pollution and what you can do to help.

Click here to view the Agenda: https://www.nccoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AGENDA-Microplastics-Forum-1.pdf

Thank you for watching. We at North Carolina Coastal Federation work hard every day to protect and restore water quality along the coast. You can help do your part by becoming a member. Head to nccoast.org to learn more. Together, we can make our coast a great place to live, work and visit.

https://workingtogether.nccoast.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20048a?df_id=1860&mfc_pref=T&1860.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=A8DFC5865BB5E5F697C65A2415A3D6A9

Thumbnail imagery by Grace Lee

Introduction: 0:00
Little Plastics Big Threat, Bonnie Monteleone: 4:42
Microplastics: A Hidden Threat (Microfibers), Dr. Richard Venditti & Dr. Marielis: 29:51
What’s in our rivers? Microplastics sampling in NC, Emily Sutton: 49:44
What’s in my seafood? Microplastics impacts on the natural environment, Dr. Susanne Brander: 1:09:32
What am I drinking? Microplastics impacts on human health, Dr. Scott Coffin: 1:31:30
What are others doing? Regulatory and legal avenues for addressing microplastics, Sarah Morath: 1:50:38
What now? Panel discussion on solutions, Adam Saslow, Sarah Latshaw, Julie Patton Lawson, Todd Miller: 2:10:26
What can I do? Closing remarks and next steps, Todd Miller: 2:55:12