MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Billions of tiny plastic pellets have been spilling into oceans and rivers the world over, where birds and fish eat them. They are the building blocks of all plastic. Melt 350 of them, you get a yogurt cup. A thousand gets you a water bottle. But an NPR and PBS "Frontline" investigation found the oil and plastic industry has long known they're an environmental problem. NPR's Laura Sullivan brings us this story about how the oil and plastic industry evaded regulation despite decades of spills.