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Effect of Land Use Patterns on Soil Microplastics Pollution

2024 2 citations

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Researchers examined how different types of land use — including farmland, urban areas, and forests — influence the amount of microplastic pollution accumulating in soil. Agricultural land showed particularly high contamination, likely due to plastic mulch films and irrigation with treated wastewater, raising concerns about microplastics entering the food supply through crops.

Plastic is a major environmental pollutant that has reached every ecosystem of the world by various means. Its unique properties (e.g. low cost, light weight) made it popular and part of daily life globally. This persistent pollutant of the planet can be divided into...

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Researchers reviewed what is known about microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, noting that despite hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic entering the environment annually, very little is understood about how microplastics persist, migrate, and affect soil ecosystems. This knowledge gap is concerning given that contaminated soil directly affects food crops consumed by humans.

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