By Verónica N. Vázquez, Junior Partner at Napoli Shkolnik
2025 was the year of microplastics. What began decades ago as observations of tiny plastic particles floating in rivers and oceans has transformed into a troubling realization: these microscopic fragments have infiltrated our bodies, our food supply, and the most remote corners of our planet.
A 2026 study analyzing 193 published research papers found that people may ingest almost 60,000 microplastic particles every single day. Microplastics are now considered ubiquitous in the environment. Scientists detect these particles in water, food, and increasingly in human tissue including organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain.
These tiny fragments enter our environment through multiple pathways, including degrading plastic mulch films used in farming, wastewater-derived fertilizers, and even airborne microplastics drifting through the atmosphere. Polyester microfibers released during clothes washing have even been shown to slow the development of cherry tomatoes..
The scale of the problem is staggering, and while research continues to evolve, legal frameworks provide essential tools for protecting communities and ensuring corporate responsibility.
The Complementary Role of Environmental Litigation
Litigation provides mechanisms for protecting communities and securing resources for remediation. Legal processes can cut through uncertainty by focusing on what companies knew, what actions they took, and what harms resulted.
Civil litigation serves a critical function when regulatory action is still developing. The legal system can:
- Hold polluters accountable for documented harms. Surface water systems are facing escalating costs to remove microplastics and other contaminants from drinking water. Advanced filtration technologies and treatment processes are expensive, and these costs are often passed to consumers.
- Protect vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by plastic pollution. Environmental justice concerns are central to microplastics litigation, as marginalized communities often bear the heaviest burden of petrochemical pollution from manufacturing facilities, waste processing centers, and contaminated water supplies.
- Drive corporate transparency and responsibility. Legal discovery processes compel companies to disclose what they knew about microplastic generation, when they knew it, and what steps they took (or failed to take) to minimize harm.
- Provide resources to restore communities. Compensation from polluters can be directed toward water treatment infrastructure, soil remediation, and ongoing medical screening for exposed residents.
Napoli Shkolnik Leads on Environmental Accountability
At Napoli Shkolnik, we understand that emerging environmental threats require both legal expertise and scientific literacy.
Our team is already leading this effort. In June 2024, we joined forces with Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott to file a landmark lawsuit against PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Frito Lay, and plastic manufacturing companies for creating a public nuisance through their plastic pollution. The suit points to the $70 million the city spent from 2018 to 2022 to clean up plastic waste caused by these defendants. Despite widespread evidence, these corporations continue to produce over 400 million metric tons of plastic each year, all while promoting narratives of sustainability that often prove misleading.
These harms are real. The burden shouldn’t fall on victims to prove every mechanistic detail of how microplastics cause harm before they can seek accountability from the industries that created this pollution.
Options for Communities Impacted by Plastic Pollution
If your community has been impacted by plastic pollution, if your water supply shows contamination, if you’ve suffered health effects potentially linked to microplastic or chemical exposure, Napoli Shkolnik has the experience and commitment to fight for accountability. Our environmental litigation team combines legal expertise with deep scientific understanding to take on complex cases that other firms might avoid.
We encourage you to speak with us about how we may be able to help protect your community from environmental harm and pursue the compensation you deserve.