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Microplastics: a global threat to life and living
Summary
This comprehensive review summarizes what we know about microplastics, covering how they act in the environment, how they break down, and how scientists detect them. Microplastics serve as carriers for toxic chemicals and can harm both marine and land-based ecosystems at multiple levels. The review emphasizes that while some microorganisms can break down plastics, current biodegradation methods are far too slow to keep up with the scale of pollution.
Microplastics, defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, have emerged as a global environmental concern due to their ubiquitous presence in various ecosystems and potential adverse effects on organisms. This comprehensive review paper delves into the intricate world of microplastics, focusing on the crucial aspects: their mechanisms of action, degradation, and the analytical techniques employed in their assessment. The multifaceted mechanisms through which microplastics can impact the environment and organisms and how microplastics serve as vectors for toxic contaminants, affecting the health of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, are also discussed. Furthermore, the complex interactions between microplastics and biota and potential ecosystem-level consequences along with the current state of research on microplastic biodegradation involving both natural and engineered processes are mentioned. This paper also highlights the pivotal role of microorganisms in breaking down these persistent pollutants in addition to an in-depth analysis of the analytical techniques used to detect and quantify microplastics in environmental samples is referenced. In conclusion, this review paper offers a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of action, biodegradation, and analytical techniques relevant to the study of microplastics. It synthesizes current knowledge in the field and highlights key research gaps, emphasizing the urgent need for interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the challenges posed by microplastics in our environment.