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Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Human Health Effects Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Microplastics in aquatic environments: detection, abundance, characteristics, and toxicological studies

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2025 5 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 63 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
W. H. Li, Huanwei Zou, Yu‐Guo Zheng, Guiqiang Zhang, Yujia Xiang, Dan Zhi, Yaoyu Zhou

Summary

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastics in water environments, covering how they are detected, how abundant they are, and what toxic effects they have on living organisms. Microplastics are found throughout aquatic systems and can accumulate in organisms while also spreading other pollutants through the environment. The authors emphasize that more attention should be paid to microplastics in freshwater and organisms closely linked to human food sources, as well as toxicity studies in mammals.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics (MPs) are fragments with a diameter of less than 5 mm that have been directly manufactured or formed by the degradation of plastic waste. MPs are not only prone to bioaccumulation in the environment, but they also lead to the spread of micropollutants in the environment, thereby threatening human health ecological environment. The useful detection method of MPs and understanding their abundance, characteristics and toxicity are great essential for MPs removal and control. This work presented the current methods of MPs' detection, compared the abundance and characteristics of MPs in water, and reviewed MPs' toxicity to organisms. Furthermore, detailed policies intervention for plastics and MPs' mitigation have been focused which delineate for application of science and policy together with scientific evidence. Lastly, this study suggests more attention should be paid to the content of MPs in freshwater and organisms closely related to human life, as well as the toxicological toxicity of MPs in mammals.

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