We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Aquatic microplastics research in the ASEAN region: Analysis of challenges and priorities
Summary
This systematic review analyzes the state of microplastic research across Southeast Asian countries and identifies gaps in how studies are conducted. The researchers found inconsistent methods being used across the region, making it hard to compare results or understand the true scale of contamination. Standardizing how microplastics are measured is important because it will give us a clearer picture of how much plastic pollution people in the region are exposed to.
Research on microplastics must be harmonized. Therefore, we thoroughly evaluated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, addressing challenges and priorities in protocol harmonization and microplastics research promotion. Of the 615 papers searched by the Web of Science, 164 were used for this systematic review. The number of ASEAN research articles has increased over time. Examination of research protocols in various sampling environments revealed several challenges: 1) Disparities in access to sampling locations affect the research extent; 2) Outdated protocols and limited access to technologies such as FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy result in less harmonized and potentially lower-quality data; and 3) Insufficiently detailed methods and QA/QC information hampers comparability. We offer procedure updates to overcome these limitations and cover environmental microplastic study gaps. Other countries in the Global South may encounter similar challenges, making this review a valuable contribution to advancing global microplastics research and fostering international collaboration.