We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Investigating the Human Impacts and the Environmental Consequences of Microplastics Disposal into Water Resources
AI summary Read the abstract
This study provides a systematic review of microplastic pollution in water resources, covering detection methods, analytical techniques, environmental depletion patterns, and human health implications, based on a comprehensive literature analysis from the 1970s onward.
During the last decades, one of the most contentious environmental issues has been the investigation of the fate of microplastics (MPs) and detrimental consequences in natural and water resources worldwide. In this respect, it is critical research firstly to track the ways in which MPs are determined as key anthropogenic pollutants in terms of ecological risk and secondly to plan feasible policies under which the role of science and society in tackling this global issue in the future should be prioritized. In this study, a systematic theoretical, technical, and planning analysis was developed in alignment with a Scopus search deployed in the second half of the year 2021 and covering a wide chronological range (from 1970s onwards) and thematic contexts of analysis by using keywords and key phrases organized into two groups. The document results were graphically represented, revealing the main scientific focus of studies. Subsequently, our study investigated the quantitative assessment methods of MPs in marine environments, denoting the range of standard procedures applied for collecting and analyzing samples of water, bottom sediments, and coastal deposits. The technological part of the study includes the presentation of the relevant analytical techniques applied for MPs tracking and monitoring in water resources, determining the wide spectrum of plastic compounds traced. Of particular interest was the determination of environmental depletion and human implications caused, even by extremely low concentrations of MPs, for marine biota, posing potential risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and food availability. Finally, the research proposed the challenges of actions needed to support scientific, industry, policy, and civil society communities to curb the ongoing flow of MPs and the toxic chemicals they contain into water resources, while rethinking the ways of plastics consumption by humanity.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics pollution in water is a threat for human health and the environment (literature review)
AI summary Read the abstract
This literature review examines the growing problem of microplastic contamination in water bodies and drinking water worldwide. Evidence indicates that microplastics pose concerns for human health both through their physical effects and through the chemicals and microorganisms they can carry, with studies confirming their presence in marine and freshwater environments across multiple countries.
Microplastics influencing aquatic environment and human health: A review of source, determination, distribution, removal, degradation, management strategy and future perspective
AI summary Read the abstract
This review paper provides a broad summary of microplastic pollution in water environments, covering where they come from, how to detect them, how they spread, and how to remove them. The authors emphasize that microplastics persist for extremely long periods in water and can harm both aquatic life and human health, calling for better management strategies worldwide.
Microplastics in aquatic environment: Challenges and perspectives
AI summary Read the abstract
This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in water environments, covering sources, transport, health effects, detection methods, and control strategies. Microplastics enter waterways from everyday plastic products, industrial discharge, and wastewater treatment plants, where aquatic organisms ingest them and pass them up the food chain. The review highlights the urgent need for better analytical techniques and global policies to reduce microplastic contamination that ultimately reaches human food and drinking water.
Microplastic: Unveiling the Stealthy Polluters in Our Water
AI summary Read the abstract
This review covers microplastic contamination in water sources, documenting sources, environmental pathways, analytical detection methods, and potential human health risks from drinking water containing plastic particles, along with emerging mitigation strategies.
Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Environmental Impacts, Detection Methods, Mitigation Strategies, and Policy Development — A Systematic Review
AI summary Read the abstract
This systematic review summarizes what we know about microplastics in water — where they come from, how they spread, and the risks they pose to ecosystems and human health. It highlights that wastewater, urban runoff, and air are the main ways microplastics travel, and calls for better global policies and monitoring standards.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.