Top Research Papers on Microplastics

This review will highlight some of the methods appropriate for microplastics sampling and techniques for its identification in environmental samples, and a need and scope for development of more economical and portable techniques in this direction.

Evidence is accumulating that feeding bottles and medical devices can contribute to MP exposure in newborns and infants and there is evidence to support the hypothesis that MPs and their additives are potential obesogens.

The results suggest that ingested microplastics could undergo fragmentation and depolymerization (for certain polymers) in the earthworm gut and to evaluate the feasibility of microplastic bioremediation with earthworms.

Identifying and understanding the potential sources delivering microplastics into the urban water environment is imperative for microplastic pollution control. However, how atmospheric deposition contributes to microplastic pollution in the urban water environment is unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the contribution of atmospheric deposition to microplastic pollution in urban waters based on the analysis of the atmospheric deposition characteristics in the urban area. The results showed that microplastic deposition fluxes during wet weather and dry weather varied from 1.1 × 10 3 ±0....

Microplastics were detected in glacier surface snow on the Tibetan Plateau, which were isolated from the impact of human activities, indicating that microplastics can be transported over long distances.

Soil is a thin coating of matter that covers the earth's surface, formed through the process of rock weathering. It is a natural filter for impurities in groundwater and is very important to human health. Recently, some studies from around the world have confirmed that the presence of microplastics in soil is increasing. However, most of these studies only examined the impacts of soil microplastic contamination one or two soil health indicators, rather than study all three soil health indicators at once. In this review, we selected papers published internationally in the past decade and examin...

The ubiquity of microplastics in the global biosphere raises increasing concerns about their implications for human health, but whether these contaminants pose a substantial risk to human health is far from understood.

Scientists are rushing to study the tiny plastic specks that are in marine animals — and in us. Scientists are rushing to study the tiny plastic specks that are in marine animals — and in us.

This reference work reviews comprehensively the behaviour and impact of microplastics in the environment, covering topics such as monitoring of microplastics pollution, microplastics interaction with chemical pollutants, and pollution prevention, regulation and remediation.

Research shifts from ecotoxicology to ecosystem effects and Earth system feedbacks Concern about microplastics polluting different environmental compartments is mounting, and research on microplastic is only now on the verge of this wider view.

Mexican sandy beaches are a natural resource that provides environmental services and contribute to the economic growth of the country. However, due to mismanagement of solid waste, discharges of wastewaters and other land and marine activities, they can be polluted by microplastics. This research aimed to quantify and classify the microplastics found in Mexican beaches. Samples were taken in 33 beaches, along the five marine regions of the country, following a systematic method that allows comparison of results. Microplastics concentration varied from 31.7–545.8 M P/m2, with high variance coe...

Abstract Society has become increasingly reliant on plastics since commercial production began in about 1950. Their versatility, stability, light weight, and low production costs have fueled global demand. Most plastics are initially used and discarded on land. Nonetheless, the amount of microplastics in some oceanic compartments is predicted to double by 2030. To solve this global problem, we must understand plastic composition, physical forms, uses, transport, and fragmentation into microplastics (and nanoplastics). Plastic debris/microplastics arise from land disposal, wastewater treatment,...

It is concluded that the issue of microplastics in the food chain is still not sufficiently examined, and should be paid more attention to maintain the health of the population.

There is an urgent need to be aware of the harm of MPs to the human immune system and more studies about immunological assessments, and further elucidate the immunological hazards and risks of humans that exposed to MPs.

As emerging contaminants, the ecological impact of microplastics has attracted worldwide attention because of the limitations of recycling technology and their long durability, leading to their accumulation in the environment and the potential risk to human health. In this study, we investigated the effects of PE microplastics (1 % and 5 % w/w) on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activity, and microbial community. The addition of PE microplastics pollution promoted the activities of urease and fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAse), whilst the activity of neutral phosphatase was inhibi...

This review comprehensively summarizes the current technologies for eliminating microplastic from the environment and highlights two key aspects to achieve this goal: 1) Catalytic degradation of microplastics into environmentally friendly organics (carbon dioxide and water); 2) catalytic recycling and upcycling plastic wastes into monomers, fuels, and valorized chemicals.

Cl clam and mussel are recommended to serve as bioindicators for microplastic pollution in the sediment and water, respectively by comparing and analyzing the microPlastic polymer types between each bivalve species and the ambient environment and suggesting clam can best reflect the variability of microplastics polymer types in sediment among different areas.

Microplastics are found ubiquitous in the natural environment and are an increasing source of worry for global health. Rapid industrialization and inappropriate plastic waste management in our daily lives have resulted in an increase in the amount of microplastics in the ecosystem. Microplastics that are <150 μm in size could be easily ingested by living beings and cause considerable toxicity. Microplastics can aggregate in living organisms and cause acute, chronic, carcinogenic, developmental, and genotoxic damage. As a result, a sustainable approach to reducing, reusing, and recycling plasti...

The results suggest that the MP aging could induce complex changes in the interactive effects between MPs and pharmaceuticals on aquatic organisms.

This study discovered that the sludge dewatering liquor could contain a high amount of microplastics, and the estimated particle loading was about 3.6 times higher than that in dewatered sludge.

Results showed that lower concentrations of microplastics had no impact while higher concentrations significantly reduced growth and chlorophyll a content of the freshwater microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris, and the combined effect of the microplastic-metal combination (Cu, Zn, Mn).

The presence of both pollutants: microplastics and pharmaceutical residues in various environmental compartments is an issue of increasing concern. Available literature data indicates that microplastics can affect the environmental distribution and transport of e.g. persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through sorption interactions, concentrating them at a given point and thus influencing the environmental risks represented by the sorbent and sorbate pair. Therefore, their potential to change the fate of other contaminants in the environment, such as pharmaceuticals, is worth investigating. Th...

The need for consistent guidelines in methods used to evaluate microplastic in fish is highlighted, to ensure data are unambiguous, comparable and can be widely used to support mitigation and management strategies, inform potential policy actions, and evaluations of environmental, food safety, and human health goals.

The proposed method confirmed its potential for clear identification of polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile, polyamides and cellulose-based fibers, but more difficulties when the filter substrate neighboring the fibers exhibits intense absorptions in the 1800-1000 cm-1 range.

Empirical evidence is provided proving that incineration is not the terminator of plastic waste, and bottom ash is a potential source of microplastics released into the environment.

To the best knowledge, this is the first work that shows the prevalence of microplastics in the commercial seaweed nori and relates to their potential sources during the processing phase and positively and quantitatively related to their abundances in seawater.

Scientists have demonstrated the presence of microplastics (MPs) in tap and bottled water at various locations. On a global scale, there is still very limited information on MP pollution in drinking water. There are huge differences in reported MP concentration, but no clear conclusion can be drawn if MP content is higher in tap or bottled water. Up to date, it is not clear if these discrepancies arise from differences between the examined systems or from differences in quantification limits, the accuracy of the applied analytical techniques, or contamination during sampling, processing, and a...

A common phenomenon that fish ingest microplastics inadvertently rather than intentionally is revealed, and insights into the pathways via which microfibers enter fish are provided and potential strategies to assess future ecological risk and food safety related to microplastic are provided.

Microplastic particles and fibers are widely distributed pollutant in the food and agriculture systems. While a growing number of studies have shown that microplastics are toxic to plant and animal life, systemic efforts to reduce their presence have been scarce. Research on how microplastics spread points to wastewater treatment plants as a key source from which microplastics may enter natural bodies of water, groundwater, or terrestrial ecosystems. In parallel, discovery of microorganisms capable of plastic degradation through enzymatic depolymerization has created growing interest in use of...

Contamination of terrestrial and marine environments by plastic waste has been widely documented. Most research into the distribution of microplastics has focused on water but here we show that wind transport can be very effective in mobilising microplastic particles. A series of wind tunnel experiments using two different substrates (sand and soil), two different microplastics (microbeads and fibres) and 5 different concentrations of microplastics (ranging from 0 mg kg-1dw to 1040 mg kg-1dw) is used to demonstrate that microplastics are preferentially transported by wind compared to sand and ...

The generation of small fragments from the environmental ageing of microplastics (MPs) is still a poorly known process. This work addresses the fragmentation of MPs obtained from marine debris consisting of polyethylene and polypropylene (PE and PP in environmental mixture) and polystyrene (PS) after exposure to accelerated ageing by irradiation and mechanical stirring. Number particle size distribution in the 1-100 μm range was assessed by combining laser diffractometry with particle counts from flow cytometry. The results showed the generation of a high number of small MP particles, which re...

The bioavailability and toxicity of microplastics in such taxon depend on the shape, size, abundance, and properties of plastics, and this review indicates this will help make the seawater-benchmark setting and ecological assessment for microplastic pollution in marine environment.

The results demonstrated the presence of microplastics attached to the body of the honeybees and opens a new research pathway to their use as active biosamplers for anthropogenic pollution.

The results show that the group more affected are turtles with 88% of the specimens contaminated by microplastics and median of 121.73 particles/individue.

An estimate of MP pollution in different compartments of the lakes based on current state-of-the-art methods is provided and several recommendations to build a consensus between all the working teams are suggested to facilitate decision-making by public authorities are suggested.

This study comprehensively reviews the sources, fate, and dispersion of MPs in the soil environment, discusses the interactions and effects of MPs on soil biota, and highlights the recent advancements in detection and quantification methods of MPs.

It is found that when infants consume milk powder, the microplastic exposure from milk powder itself is little, but exposure from feeding bottles is 6.8 times higher than that from milk Powder and milk powder preparation is 1.7 times higher.

Microplastic particles are ubiquitous in the environment, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. The key question with respect to these particles is to what extent they cause risks for the environment and human health. There is no risk assessment framework that takes into account the multidimensionality of microplastic particles against the background of numerous natural particles, which together encompass an infinite combination of sizes, shapes, densities and chemical signatures. We review the current tenets in defining microplastic characteristics and effects, emphasizing advances in t...

Modulation of genes involved in hypoxia-response, cardiac development and hatching confirmed the toxicity mechanisms of PMP and SMP, and highlighted the negative effects of environmentally relevant SMP on the marine ecosystems.

California Senate Bill 1422 requires the development of State-approved standardized methods for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in drinking water. Accordingly, we led an interlaboratory microplastic method evaluation study, with 22 participating laboratories from six countries, to evaluate the performance of widely used methods: sample extraction via filtering/sieving, optical microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Three spiked samples of simulated clean water and a laboratory blank were sent to each laboratory with a prescribed standard operating procedure for par...