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Microplastic Pollution in Mexico: Occurrence, Ecological Risk, Removal Strategies from Water, and Emerging Mitigation Approaches
Summary
This review pulls together Mexican research on microplastics—tiny plastic particles found in water, sediment, and animals—showing they pose a real risk to ecosystems and can enter the food chain we rely on. The good news: scientists are testing solutions like flocculation (a low-cost water treatment method) and bioremediation (using microorganisms to break down plastic) to tackle the problem. The bad news: there's currently no standardized way to track or regulate microplastics, so stronger monitoring and safety limits are needed to protect both the environment and human health.
Concerns have increased significantly in recent years due to the presence of microplastics in different environmental compartments given that this pollutant can cause adverse effects on the environment and human health. The present review integrates representative studies of Mexican researchers proposing solutions to these concerns, addressing ecological risk and the human food chain, microplastic ingestion by animals, water and sediment pollution, physical/chemical methods for microplastic removal from water, and chemical recycling as a research direction in plastic waste management. Several publications from Mexican institutions are limited to the occurrence and identification of polymers, and a smaller number of documents are focused on solutions to microplastic pollution. Fibers, fragments, spheres, films, and foams have been found in aquatic compartments, sediment, and animals. High ecological risk has been documented in some aquatic compartments. There is a lack of standardized protocols for sampling, extraction, identification, and reporting. Flocculation is a cost-effective approach and may be one of the most promising options for removing microplastics from fresh water. Bioremediation using microorganisms and chemical recycling appear to be the two most widely considered approaches to reverse plastic pollution. National databases, permissible limits, and mandatory monitoring programs should be developed, as these are essential components of an effective regulatory framework.