We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Advancement and Challenges of Microplastic Pollution in the Aquatic Environment: a Review
Summary
Microplastics are now found throughout freshwater and marine environments worldwide, from surface waters to deep-sea sediments, carrying toxic chemicals and posing biotoxicity risks to aquatic organisms, yet sampling and identification methods remain inconsistent across studies. Standardizing detection protocols is urgently needed to accurately assess the full scope of microplastic contamination and its threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health via food and water.
As a new persistent environmental pollutant, microplastic pollution has attracted great interest recently. Microplastic particles are distributed widely throughout the world’s freshwaters, oceans, and seas, including the water column and sediments reaching as far as the deep sea. However, the practical considerations and protocols for microplastic pollution have, to the best of our knowledge, not been reviewed properly with regard to assessing their distribution, biotoxicity, sampling, and identification in the aquatic environment. In this review, the implications of microplastic pollution, including its wide distribution, biotoxicity threats, sampling, and identification challenges in the aquatic environment , were discussed and evaluated. The challenges and perspective of the related research are also presented to identify knowledge gaps and to prioritize future research needs.