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Microplastic characteristics, transport, risks, and remediation in groundwater: a review
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Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in groundwater, finding concentrations up to 6,832 particles per liter from sources including landfills, agriculture, and atmospheric deposition, and reporting that membrane filtration technologies such as reverse osmosis can achieve 93–99% microplastic removal.
Contamination of groundwater by microplastics is a major health concern because groundwater is a major source of drinking and agricultural water. Here, we review microplastics with focus on contamination sources, characteristics, migration, water quality, ecological and health risks, and preventive and removal strategies. Contamination sources include landfills, waste dump leachates, wastewater treatment plants, industrial waste streams, land use, agriculture, urban and residential activities, and atmospheric transport and runoff. Contamination levels reach up to 6,832 microplastics per liter of groundwater. Membrane technologies, such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis, achieve 93–99% removal of microplastics.
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Ascertainment of Microplastic Pollution Load in the Groundwater and Its Antithetical Effects on Human Health: A Systematic Review
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Researchers systematically reviewed microplastic pollution in groundwater, identifying landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and agricultural runoff as major contamination sources, and found that contamination levels can reach up to 6,832 microplastics per liter, posing significant risks to drinking water safety and human health.
Microplastic hazard, management, remediation, and control strategies: a review
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Researchers reviewed microplastic distribution and ecological impact across marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and human systems, concluding that freshwater and soil environments remain understudied relative to marine contexts and that effective remediation will require improved detection techniques alongside better-implemented waste management and biodegradation strategies.
Microplastics in Water: Occurrence, Environmental Effects, and Removal Methods
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Researchers reviewed the sources, environmental effects, and removal methods for microplastics in water, finding these contaminants are widespread across drinking water, rivers, and oceans, and that current water treatment technologies are only partially effective at removing them before they reach people.
Review of the Potential Effects and Remediation Strategies of Microplastic Pollutants in Drinking Water Sources
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Tiny plastic bits called microplastics have been found in drinking water in 42 countries, getting in through sources like bottled water packaging, laundry runoff, and wastewater. This review of existing research shows these plastic particles can act like tiny rafts, carrying harmful chemicals and heavy metals into your water that have been linked to health problems like anemia and liver damage. While scientists are still working out exactly how much harm the plastics themselves cause, the pollutants they carry are a real concern worth paying attention to, and the review also offers ideas for filtering them out of our water supply.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.