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Plastic Peril
Summary
This review examines the skyrocketing global plastic production and the resulting accumulation of microplastics that adversely affect terrestrial and aquatic organisms through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The authors assess evidence for microplastic effects across trophic levels including in edible aquatic organisms, highlighting the food chain risks from plastic pollution.
The global production of plastics is skyrocketing due to its extensive range of applications. Even though plastics give convenience to our day-to-day life, an immense amount of plastic waste accumulates in the environment. This is later exposed to degrading forces, causing the formation of microplastics that adversely affect the health of the organisms and the environment. Microplastics have been implied to exert several undesirable effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms, even in higher-level consumers. Since microplastics have been found in edible aquatic organisms, bioaccumulation occurs at every trophic level and affects even humans. Microplastics may be consumed directly by an organism or indirectly through its prey, which can cause physiological distress as well as disruption of organ–organ systems. Besides, this could also affect aquatic food security. This chapter concisely reviews the health risks and ecotoxicological impacts that microplastics pose and, their effects on various organisms, and ramifications on higher trophic levels and human health. Likewise, it also discusses the mechanism of transfer, current laws and regulations and concludes by highlighting the significance of future research to fill the existing gaps.
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