In 2018, the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP) launched an innovative investigation to detect contaminants that were either new to Bay sediment or had previously gone undetected. This study used nontarget analysis, a powerful tool that provides a broad, open-ended view of thousands of synthetic and naturally derived chemicals simultaneously. A leader in using novel technologies to inform decision making, the RMP has explored Bay water quality with nontarget analysis for over two decades. However, sediment had been underexplored with nontarget analysis until this study.

RMP stakeholders are pursuing cost-effective solutions to contamination of the SF Bay through measures that prevent, rather than clean up contamination. Early identification of problem CECs and quick action to prevent their spread is the best way to protect water quality in San Francisco Bay. 

What are contaminants of emerging concern (CECs)? Also referred to as emerging contaminants, these include any chemical that is not regulated or monitored and that has the potential to enter the environment and harm people or wildlife. Assessing the risks that emerging contaminants pose to Bay wildlife and surrounding communities requires information about the levels of these chemicals in the Bay, how they move and persist, and how toxic they are. The RMP’s decade-long effort to identify CECs has produced a high quality body of knowledge on Bay contamination, making this one of the most thoroughly monitored aquatic ecosystems in the world. This information allows managers to develop sophisticated, rational approaches to solving emerging water quality issues. The RMP’s forward-looking approach has allowed it to meet pollution challenges effectively and efficiently. However, as the number of CECs rises, additional resources will allow the RMP to expand efforts to identify toxic contaminants before they harm the Bay.

This factsheet compiles the findings for microplastics, as they are found in San Francisco Bay. The factsheet defines the different forms of contamination, the studies that have been performed as of 2016, and the findings of those studies.