PepsiCo is being sued for polluting a New York river with microplastics

PepsiCo is facing legal trouble for its polluting packaging in one US state.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing the food and beverage giant accountable “for harming the public and the environment” by littering the shores of the Buffalo River with single-use plastic packaging like that used in Cheetos packets and Gatorade bottle caps.

Microplastics—those with a diameter smaller than 5 mm—have been detected in the city of Buffalo’s drinking water supply which can cause a wide range of adverse health effects, “including early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some types of cancers.”