While there is a lot of attention on rising ocean levels and global climate change, a new study emphasizes another threat to our marine ecosytems: plastic pollutants.

The study found that there are currently over five trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans. With approximately 7.2 billion people on the planet, that’s almost 700 pieces per person. The combined weight of the plastics is nearly 269,000 tons.

The study was originally published in the journal PLOS ONE and marks the first study on plastic pollutants in the world’s oceans. It was conducted by Marcus Eriksen of the Five Gyres Institute along with a large group of international colleagues. The study is based on data from 24 distinct ocean expeditions conducted between 2007 and 2013 to sample plastic pollution. The plastic was observed in over 1500 locations and the data was then applied to a global oceanic model.

The study not only brought those numbers to light, it also illuminated how the plastic changes once it is in the ocean and how it circulates. The pieces typically break down into much smaller pieces once they’re introduced into the ocean. Pieces between one millimeter and 4.75 millimeters in size were the most prevalent while pieces greater than 200 millimeters were most significant by weight.

The authors of the study stress that five trillion pieces is a conservative estimate, noting in their study that there is a “potentially massive amount of plastic pressent on shorelines, on the seabed, suspended in the water column and within organisms.”

“What we are witnessing in the global ocean is a growing threat of toxin-laden microplastics cycling through the entire marine ecosystem,” said Marcus Eriksen to the Washington Post.

The study notes that the danger of plastic pollutants is increased by factors such as durability and buoyancy, as well as the absorption of the toxic polymers into the marine ecosystems.  Through photodegradation and weathering processes, the plastics fragment and are pushed into subtropical gyres, or systems of oceanic currents. This disperses the pollutants throughout the ocean.

The danger manifests in a few varied ways, but the most consequential are the ingestion of the pollutants by marine life and entanglement. The plastics naturally absorb organic pollutants, and when they are ingested the pollutants  are transferred to marine life and subsequently rise through the food chain. It’s not only dangerous to ocean life, but ultimately to humans consuming the contaminated sea life.

The five major ocean gyres are most responsible for the dispersal of the pollutants. These systems of currents spiral in large circles, dragging the plastic waste into the center. This results in the accumulation of the pollutants in the famous garbage patches through the Pacific ocean.

The plastic pollutants are a growing concern that needs our attention. “It is imperative that the use of plastics include a 100 percent recovery plan, or choose a 100 percent environmental harmlessness in your choice of material,” Eriksen told the Washington Post. “The status quo is no longer acceptable.”

The study was originally published here.