To the editor:

I am writing in response to the Feb. 24 Barrington Times article reporting on Representative Jennifer Boylan’s efforts to introduce two bills in the legislature to address the problem of microplastics pollution in Rhode Island and to create an inventory of synthetic turf fields. Rep. Boylan’s efforts are commendable and worthy of support by East Bay residents. 

Microplastics and other pollution flow into Narragansett Bay through storm drains, rivers and streams. This is not a theoretical problem. In 2023, URI researchers published a study in the journal Scientific Reports that found that the top 2 inches of the floor of Narragansett Bay now contain more than 1,000 tons of microplastics based on samples from the bay sediment. This buildup is recent, much of it from the last two decades.  Unfortunately, fish, birds and other animals unknowingly ingest microplastics. 

Rep. Boylan’s bill, the Microplastics Reduction Act (2025 H-5492), would ban the sale of products in Rhode Island that intentionally add microplastics into products. Importantly, it would require the Departments of Environmental Management and Health to develop a plan to regularly test water and soil for the presence of microplastics and to report on their findings. Scientific studies have found evidence of microplastics in human bodies, so this affects people's health as well. 

Rhode Island’s economy relies heavily on a healthy bay to support our fisheries, shellfish industry, tourism, and recreation. None of us like to see trash on the bike path, at the beach, or in the bay and we certainly don’t want them to be contaminated with invisible microplastics! 

The bills are a tangible step that the legislature can take to protect Narragansett Bay, its watershed and the health of our communities.

Abigail Demopulos

Bristol