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Plastic Pollution and Ecosystem Health: Sources, Pathways, Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies
Summary
Researchers reviewed how plastics from industrial, domestic, agricultural, and transport sources enter terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems via runoff, rivers, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition, fragment into increasingly mobile microplastics and nanoplastics, and drive biodiversity impacts through ingestion, chemical toxicity, and trophic transfer — identifying research gaps and calling for integrated policy and technological responses.
Plastic pollution is a major global environmental challenge driven by the large-scale production and persistence of plastic materials. This review examines the sources, pathways, distribution, and ecological impacts of plastics across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Plastics originate from industrial, domestic, agricultural, and transport-related activities and enter the environment through runoff, river systems, wastewater, and atmospheric processes. Over time, they fragment into microplastics and nanoplastics, increasing their mobility and bioavailability. These particles are widely distributed in soil, water, and air, posing serious risks to biodiversity. Key impacts include ingestion, entanglement, habitat disruption, and chemical toxicity, along with trophic transfer within food webs. The study highlights existing research gaps and emphasizes the need for integrated strategies involving policy, technology, and public awareness to mitigate plastic pollution and protect ecosystem health.