The term microplastic was first used to describe microscopic fragments of plastic debris (~20 µm in diameter) in a publication in 2004. On the basis of this paper and earlier work, it was evident that small fragments of various common plastics—including acrylic, polyamine (nylon), polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, and polystyrene—were present in coastal environments around the United Kingdom and along the eastern seaboard of the United States and that their abundance had increased substantially since the 1960s. There was evidence that microplastics were bioavailable to invertebrates and fish but only speculation on the key sources and the potential for harmful effects.
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