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The Current Status of Plastics
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This overview chapter discusses the current global status of plastic production and pollution, noting that marine plastic research has become a focal point for scientists and policymakers. It covers the properties that make plastics so widely used while also explaining why those same properties make them persistent environmental pollutants.
Microplastics come from the partial degradation of plastic material. Plastic has been defined as a synthetic organic water-insoluble polymer, generally of petrochemical origin, that can be molded on heating and manipulated into various shapes designed to be maintained during use. Research on marine plastic pollution has been the focal point of scientists, the public, and policymakers. The exceptional properties of plastics make them “unique material” for applications in industry, construction, medicine, and food safety. Human behavioral patterns are responsible for plastic production and pollution through discarding plastic and from the use of plastic-enabled products that over time break down and release microplastics. The amount of microplastics in terrestrial environments is currently estimated to be equal or greater than it is in the world’s oceans, and it is continuing to increase. The growing amount of interest among the general public, researchers, and media has caused plastic debris to be perceived as a major threat to environment and human health.
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Plastic Pollution
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This book chapter provides a broad overview of plastic pollution, covering the scale of global plastic production, why plastics persist in the environment for centuries, and the various physical and biological approaches being explored to break plastics down. It gives particular attention to microbial degradation as a promising strategy for plastic bioremediation in soil and water environments. The chapter serves as a useful introduction to the plastic pollution problem and the emerging science of using microorganisms to tackle it.
Plastic
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This overview examines the scale of global plastic production and pollution, explaining how 9 million tonnes of plastic enter oceans annually, fragment into microplastics that enter food chains, and allow toxic chemicals including BPA, styrene, and PCBs to bioaccumulate up to humans.
Characteristics of Plastic Pollution in the Environment: A Review.
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This review covers the key characteristics of plastic pollution — including sources, abundance, transport, and degradation — across different environmental compartments. It synthesizes knowledge about what makes plastic pollution persistent and widespread, providing a foundation for understanding microplastic formation and behavior in the environment.
Driver, Trends and Fate of Plastics and Micro Plastics Occurrence in the Environment
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This review examines the sources, trends, and environmental fate of plastics and microplastics, which have become a major global pollution problem due to massive production and poor waste management. Understanding how plastics move through the environment is essential for designing effective pollution controls.
Pervasive Pollution Problems Caused by Plastics and its Degradation
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This review discusses the pervasive environmental pollution caused by plastics and their degradation products, arguing that plastic contamination now affects air, water, food, and all living organisms and requires urgent global action to reduce production and improve waste management.
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.