Microplastics Pollution: An Intending Threat for Aquatic Ecosystem Sustenance

Microplastics are regarded as another group of pollutants ravaging the aquatic habitat because plastics have become an increasingly important packaging option which slowly degrades into microplastics.Also, most domestic items used on a daily basis are known to contain microplastics which are ultimately released as wastes into oceans and rivers.Anthropogenic activity has led to microplastic contamination throughout the marine environment.Characteristics such as low density, good mechanical properties and low cost enables successful use of plastics in industries and everyday life but the high durability leads to its persistence in the marine environment where they cause harm to a great variety of organisms As a result of widespread contamination, microplastics are ingested by animals including fish and shellfish.Because microplastics are associated with chemicals from manufacturing and that sorbs from the surrounding environment, there is concern regarding physical and chemical toxicity However, there are primary as well as secondary sources of microplastics in the environment in which both sources poses threat to aquatic lives.This has become a major cause of concern because these microplastics are consumed by aquatic organism because they mostly appear to them as food.Evidence implicating plastics in ecotoxicity and epidemiology is emerging, Therefore this review focuses on sources, assessment, impacts and bioaccumulation of microplastics using reports from several studies in different countries, Nigeria inclusive.Studies shows humans can ingest microplastics by consuming fish polluted with microplastics, however research is needed to establish there is a route of human exposure to microplastics via fish consumption.