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A critical review of the recent trends in source tracing of microplastics in the environment
Summary
This review examines methods for tracing microplastics back to their sources, including techniques like backward trajectory analysis, bacterial biofilm profiling, and heavy metal fingerprinting on plastic surfaces. Understanding where microplastics come from is essential for developing targeted pollution control strategies. The research highlights that combining multiple tracing methods gives the best results, which could help policymakers reduce microplastic pollution at its source and protect human health.
Microplastics are found across the globe because of their size and ability to transport across environments. The effects of microplastics on the micro- and macro-organisms have brought out concern over the potential risk to human health and the need to regulate their distribution at the source. Control of microplastic pollution requires region-specific management and mitigation strategies which can be developed with the information on sources and their contributions. This review provides an overview of the sources, fate, and distribution of microplastics along with techniques to source-trace microplastics. Source-tracing approaches provide both qualitative and quantitive information. Since better outcomes have been produced by the integration of techniques like backward trajectory analysis with cluster analysis, the significance of integrated and multi-dimensional approaches has been emphasized. The scope of the plastisphere, heavy metal, and biofilm microbial community in tracing the sources of microplastics are also highlighted. The present review allows the researchers and policymakers to understand the recent trends in the source-tracing of microplastics which will help them to develop techniques and comprehensive action plans to limit the microplastic discharge at sources.