ArticleScientific reports2020
Currently monitored microplastics pose negligible ecological risk to the global ocean.
Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Coexposure of Micro and Nano-Plastics with Pesticides: Cytotoxicity and Bioaccumulation Effects on a Fish Intestinal Cell Line.Environmental science & technology · 2026Article
- Physiological and Multi-Omics Insights intoInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Incorporation of Natural Biostimulants in Biodegradable Mulch Films for Agricultural Applications: Ecotoxicological Evaluation.Polymers · 2025Article
- Article
- Would the Oceans Become Toxic to Humanity Due to Use and Mismanagement of Plastics?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- UV Dosage Unveils Toxic Properties of Weathered Commercial Bioplastic Bags.Environmental science & technology · 2023Article
- Effects of Biofilms on Trace Metal Adsorption on Plastics in Freshwater Systems.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Co-Exposure with an Invasive Seaweed Exudate Increases Toxicity of Polyamide Microplastics in the Marine MusselToxics · 2022Article
- Assessment of Toxicity and Biodegradability of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Materials in Marine Water.Polymers · 2021Article
- Zooplankton grazing of microplastic can accelerate global loss of ocean oxygen.Nature communications · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Given the rise in plastic production, microplastics (MP) dominate marine debris, and their impact on marine ecosystems will likely increase. However a global quantitative assessment of this risk is still lacking. We conducted an ecological risk assessment of MP in the global ocean by comparing the thresholds of biological effects with the probability of exposure to those concentrations, according to plastic density data adjusted to a log-normal distribution. Levels of MP from 100 to 5000 µm span from < 0.0001 to 1.89 mg/L, whereas the most conservative safe concentration is 13.8 mg/L, and probability of exposure is p = 0.00004. Therefore large MP pose negligible global risk. However, MP bioavailability, translocation and toxicity increase as size decreases, and particles < 10 µm are not identified by current monitoring methods. Future research should target the lowest size fractions of MP and nanoplastics, and use in toxicity testing environmental plastic particles rather than engineered materials.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.