The Florida Microplastic Awareness Project
Use the link below to connect to u tube to learn more about the Microplastic Awareness Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xMrUsQgFWZs
Each time you wash your face or brush your teeth, you just may be adding microscopic bits of plastic into the aquatic
environment. These tiny particles never biodegrade and are accidentally eaten by marine life, threatening their health. Toxins
in the environment are attracted to and can easily adhere to their surface.
Thank you for being interested in keeping our oceans clean! Within these pages you will find information about the sources
of microplastics, how they end up in our waters, and the threat they pose to marine life.
Please explore to find how you can get involved in the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project, educational resources and
outreach materials.
The Florida Microplastic Awareness Project
The Florida Microplastic Awareness Project (FMAP) is a citizen-science project that was funded in 2015 by an outreach and
education grant from NOAA's Marine Debris Program. Volunteer citizens are collecting coastal water samples, filtering them
and looking for microplastics. Please visit our "Get Involved" page to learn how you can become a volunteer and be part of
the solution. The data collected by volunteers will then be put into a Google Maps database to show the concentration of
these particles visually.
Follow our Florida Microplastic Awareness Project page and join our group on Facebook to learn more about news, training
sessions and volunteer opportunities!
MAP: Where have microplastics been found in Florida Waters?
TAKE THE PLEDGE to reduce your contribution to microplastic pollution
What Are Microplastics?
Plastics may leach toxic chemicals, used in their manufacture, or picked up from the seawater. They might also impede an
organism's ability to eat.
Microplastic is generated in several ways. Polyethylene microbeads used in toothpastes, facial scrubs and other personalcare products are one source, because many water-treatment facilities are unable to filter them out. For plastic garbage at
sea, wave action and sunlight can weaken large items and break them into ever-smaller fragments. Some microplastic
material is dust from construction or industrial processes that’s carried to the ocean by wind or water.
All of these tiny plastic particles wouldn’t be such a problem if they quickly broke down into simpler chemical forms, but
plastic molecules are very resilient and could remain intact to threaten the environment for thousands of years.
For More information about Micro plastics n Nassau County Contact Margaret Johnson at 904 530-6353 or
msmargjohnson@ufl.edu.