As a result of different processes of degradation and fragmentation, plastics smaller than 5 mm (microplastics) are accumulating in the oceans. The European Union has identified the environmental effects of microplastic as one of the main issues of concern within the framework for the conservation of marine ecosystems. A study carried out during a oceanographic cruise Malaspina 2010 reported 7,000 to 35,000 tonnes of plastic in the total ocean (Cózar et al., 2014).

These microplastics due its size, can be ingested by zooplankton and transferred up the marine food web. The development of a quantitative method to measure microplastic in animal tissues is a research priority to evaluate the health riskes of microplastic in food (Hollmer et al., 2013).

The main goals in this the project are:
• Determine the ingestion rate of microplastic in zooplankton cultures and their transfer through the food chain.
• Study the correlation between microplastic ingestion (contaminated with PCBs) and the concentration of PCBs on marine biota tissues.
• Carry on an awareness campaign about microplastic accumulation risks through citizen science platform "Sea Watchers".