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Occurrence, toxicity and remediation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics. A review
Summary
Researchers reviewed the full lifecycle of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) — the plastic used in beverage bottles and synthetic clothing — covering its environmental occurrence from groundwater to sediment, human health effects including stem cell disruption, and physical, chemical, and biological degradation pathways.
Polyethylene terephthalate is a common plastic in many products such as viscose rayon for clothing, and packaging material in the food and beverage industries. Polyethylene terephthalate has beneficial properties such as light weight, high tensile strength, transparency and gas barrier. Nonetheless, there is actually increasing concern about plastic pollution and toxicity. Here we review the properties, occurrence, toxicity, remediation and analysis of polyethylene terephthalate as macroplastic, mesoplastic, microplastic and nanoplastic. Polyethylene terephthalate occurs in groundwater, drinking water, soils and sediments. Plastic uptake by humans induces diseases such as reducing migration and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells of bone marrow and endothelial progenitor cells. Polyethylene terephthalate can be degraded by physical, chemical and biological methods.