Measurement of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in plastic resin pellets from remote islands: Toward establishment of background concentrations for International Pellet Watch

► Pellets from Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and Caribbean Sea were analyzed. ► Background concentrations from remote islands were presented. ► PCBs <10 ng/g, DDTs <4 ng/g, HCHs <2 ng/g were presented as background. ► Sporadic large concentrations of POPs in the pellets were observed.