Our plastic age
Open accessAbstract
Within the last few decades, plastics have revolutionized our daily lives. Globally we use in excess of 260 million tonnes of plastic per annum, accounting for approximately 8 per cent of world oil production. In this Theme Issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society , we describe current and future trends in usage, together with the many benefits that plastics bring to society. At the same time, we examine the environmental consequences resulting from the accumulation of waste plastic, the effects of plastic debris on wildlife and concerns for human health that arise from the production, usage and disposal of plastics. Finally, we consider some possible solutions to these problems together with the research and policy priorities necessary for their implementation.
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Plastic litter is transported by wind, surface runoff and rivers from land to the ocean or is directly released via shoreline littering and offshore activities to the sea where it accumulates.
“Plastic litter is transported by wind, surface runoff and rivers from land to the ocean or is directly released via shoreline littering and offshore activities to the sea where it accumulates.3,8,9”
From The fate of plastic in the ocean environment – a minireview (2021) · cites this paper as [3]
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- Authors
- Thompson, R. C., Swan, S. H., Moore, C. J., & vom Saal, F. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Plymouth (GB)
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- Japan Marine Science Foundation (JP)
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, MO, USA
- Corresponding author
- Thompson, Richard C.
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2009-07-27
- Volume
- 364
- Issue
- 1526
- Pages
- 1973-1976
- ISSN
- 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2970
- PMC
- PMC2874019
- OpenAlex
- W2130881727
- Cited by
- 1,294
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 92 · 2025: 117 · 2024: 132 · 2023: 154 · 2022: 152 · 2021: 161 · 2020: 108 · 2019: 86 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 56 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 13.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Waste Management and Recycling
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Keywords
- plastics, plastic waste, plastic pollution, plastic debris, wildlife impacts, human health, plastic production, plastic waste disposal, environmental consequences, waste management, policy priorities
- MeSH terms
- Environment, Environmental Pollutants, Plastics, Public Policy, Waste Management, History, 20th Century
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