Plastics on the beach (IMAGE) Kyushu University Caption A new study led by Kyushu University estimates the fate of ocean plastics from 1961 to 2017 and finds that nearly two-thirds may be out of reach of current observation methods. Moreover, the study estimates that a half a billion metric tons of plastic—one tenth of all the plastic products produced in the last half-century—is still at risk of leaking into the environment, with 95% of this still on land. Credit Kyushu University Usage Restrictions Only for media and non-commercial use. License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.