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Climate change and the water quality threats posed by the emerging contaminants per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics
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This review examined how climate change amplifies the risks posed by PFAS and microplastics in freshwater and marine environments, including enhanced mobilization, altered transport, and increased human exposure pathways. The authors found that both contaminant classes are released at higher rates under warming scenarios and that microplastic breakdown generates greenhouse gases that further accelerate climate change.
Climate change affects how the emerging contaminants per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics impact human health and the environment. The known and implied effects from PFAS compounds and microplastics are reviewed, followed by an overview of their occurrence, transport, degradation in fresh water and ocean water, and health impacts. PFAS and microplastics releases are increasing as a result of climate change, and the breakdown of microplastics is releasing greenhouse gases, which in turn augments climate change. Strategies are presented for reductions in the release of these emerging contaminants.
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Climate change and microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems: ecological and societal consequences
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This review examines how climate change amplifies the ecological and societal impacts of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The study suggests that rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and altered precipitation patterns accelerate plastic fragmentation and dispersal, creating compounding effects on water quality, biodiversity, and coastal communities.
Interactions between MPs and PFASs in aquatic environments: A dual-character situation
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This review examines the interactions between microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water environments, finding that the two pollutants have a complex relationship. Microplastics can absorb PFAS chemicals onto their surfaces, potentially transporting them through aquatic systems and altering their environmental behavior. The study highlights the need to consider these combined effects when assessing pollution risks in waterways.
Toxic Climatescapes: Mapping the Next Generation of Environmental Risks
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This review synthesizes evidence from 2017 to 2024 on how climate change is accelerating the release, distribution, and toxicity of environmental contaminants including microplastics, heavy metals, and PFAS. The study suggests that rising temperatures, altered precipitation, permafrost thaw, and extreme weather events are amplifying contaminant mobility and creating new combined exposure risks for both ecosystems and human health.
Entangled stressors: a review on the interactions between microplastics and climate change in aquatic ecosystems
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This review pulls together existing research showing that climate change is making microplastic pollution in lakes, rivers, and oceans worse—warmer water speeds up the release of harmful chemicals from plastics and makes fish and other wildlife more likely to accidentally eat them. Since these microplastics and their chemicals can move up the food chain into the seafood we eat, this double threat matters for human health too, though scientists say more research is needed to understand the long-term risks and find solutions.
Changes in characteristics and risk of freshwater microplastics under global warming
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Researchers analyzed data from nearly 2,800 sites worldwide and predicted that a 10 degrees Celsius increase in temperature would raise microplastic concentrations in freshwater and push pollution risk levels from high to dangerous in many countries. Global warming is expected to accelerate plastic breakdown into smaller, more harmful fragments while increasing overall concentrations. This study highlights how climate change could worsen the already serious microplastic contamination in the water supplies that people depend on.
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