Fate of Microplastics and Microfibers

The microplastic and microfiber cycle was first and officially established and described as a unique framework for studying plastic pollution and its migrations across ecological resources. This was done with the intention of shedding light on how plastic waste spreads throughout ecosystems. This idea has now been enlarged to include larger plastic debris, and it links all elements of the fate, shipping, and impacts of plastic waste, including reporting models in the atmosphere. Additionally, it expanded on preexisting outlooks that interpreted the problem of plastic pollution in a less integrative manner. The importance of this paradigm lies in the fact that it unifies three fundamental scientific domains: the biochemistry of the ecosystem, the ecology of organisms (specifically, nutritional transfer), and the health of humans. This chapter’s objective is to familiarise the reader with the fate of microplastic and microfiber contamination and to describe the microplastic cycle as a framework and comprehensive paradigm for tackling this pervasive environment, and possible public health, issue. The particular goals of this chapter were to: i) introduce this volume and its chapters by outlining the microplastic and microfiber pollution issue in the context of the whole plastic cycle; ii) evaluate fluxes of microplastic and microfiber particles across distinct ecosystem compartments, including the troposphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, including life forms; and iii) offer additional perspectives on policy-making and possible future solutions to microplastic and microfiber pollution.