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Black microplastic in plastic pollution: undetected and underestimated?
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Black microplastics, which are challenging to detect by standard optical methods due to their carbon black content, are argued to be systematically underdetected and underestimated in environmental monitoring, representing a significant blind spot in microplastic pollution assessments.
Plastic pollution includes microplastics. The environmental ubiquity of microplastics (< 5 mm) is evident and the leak of microplastics into the environment is projected to increase globally. Microplastics in the environment possess high heterogeneity in polymer composition, particle size, shapes, and surface chemistry, which sometimes result in contradictory toxicological findings. However, much less attention is paid to the color of microplastics, particularly black plastics that are the least recycled and account for a significant proportion of total plastic waste and environmental microplastics. In the present perspective article, based on 50 field-based research articles on microplastics published from 2014 to 2022 and our own research experience, we raised specific environmental concerns about black microplastics and emphasized the challenges posed by black microplastics in multiple aspects. Future prospects were also discussed for better mitigating black microplastics in the context of plastic pollution.
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Researchers reviewed the current landscape of optical detection methods for microplastics—spanning Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, SERS, FLIM, hyperspectral imaging, and AI-enhanced analysis—highlighting that while handheld and smartphone-based platforms show strong promise for field deployment, the absence of standardized protocols and interference from organic matter remain key barriers to reliable environmental monitoring.
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This comprehensive review maps the sources, distribution, and environmental impacts of microplastics across marine, riverine, terrestrial, and atmospheric matrices, noting that riverine ecosystems and soil environments remain understudied relative to marine systems. The review underscores that microplastics permeate every environmental compartment — including drinking water sources and food commodities — making ubiquitous human exposure unavoidable without systemic interventions in plastic production and waste management.
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