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Microplastics contamination in soil, water, air, and environmental health risk assessment
Summary
This review surveys the contamination of soil, water, and air by microplastics and assesses the associated environmental health risks. Researchers found that microplastics are present across all environmental compartments and can enter the food chain, potentially affecting both ecosystems and human health. The study calls for standardized detection methods and more comprehensive risk assessments to better understand the full scope of microplastic exposure.
Microplastic (MP) contamination has become a worldwide concern, and its widespread presence in numerous environmental compartments is a growing research interest. Plastic wastes are disposed into soil and water bodies that gradually break into tiny pieces. These tiny plastic fragments are classified as MPs, typically 0.05–5 mm in size. These can be consumed by aquatic and microbial species, allowing them to enter the food chain, which adversely influences terrestrial and marine environments. Humans can take MPs from fish and other contaminated sources, and their bioaccumulation can potentially cause ingestion , inflammation, and inhalation, which can impact human health. Soil is a major abiotic factor produced naturally and significantly impacts human health, water, air quality , and the global economy. It is a well-defined system of biological, chemical, and physical parameters that affect soil health. MP contamination in soil alters physical, biological, and chemical parameters, including porosity, pH, electrical and hydraulic conductivity , aggregation, enzymatic activity, organic matter, salinity , and water-holding capacity. The production rate of plastic textile fibers has been increasing daily, and their degradation leads to the production of fibrous MPs that affect human health by accumulating in the lungs. Fibrous MPs inhaled through the air and cause various health problems. The present study mainly focused on reducing MP contamination and its impact on soil and human health. There are still unanswered questions concerning the possible dangers of MPs at environmentally significant concentrations. This book chapter includes a detailed overview of current studies on MP contamination in soil, water, and air and an examination of the associated environmental health risks.