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Buoyant plastic in the marine environment is exposed to sunlight, oxidants, and physical stress, which may lead to degradation of the plastic polymer and the release of compounds that are potentially hazardous. We report the development of a laboratory protocol that simulates the exposure of plastic floating in the marine environment to ultraviolet light (UV) and nontarget analysis to identify degradation products of plastic polymers in water. Plastic pellets [polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and poly(ethylene terephthalate)] suspended in water were exposed to a UV light source for 5 days. Organic chemicals in the water were concentrated by solid phase extraction and then analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry using a nontarget approach with a C18 LC column coupled to a Q Exactive Orbitrap HF mass spectrometer. We designed a data …