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Microplastics: Contaminants of Global Concern in the Anthropocene
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This review summarizes the state of knowledge on microplastics as a global contaminant, covering their sources, distribution in different environments, and potential ecological and health effects. It frames microplastics as a defining pollution challenge of the Anthropocene era.
Since the beginning of mass production of plastic in the mid-20th century, environmental contamination by this anthropogenic material has been growing and is becoming increasingly apparent, and is even considered a potential geological indicator in the Anthropocene. Microplastics is a term used to group a range of different polymeric synthetic materials of size < 5 mm. These materials have been reported by several studies in different environmental matrices globally and present physical and chemical risk to organisms at the base of the food chain. However, in Brazil, interest in the subject is relatively new and few studies have been published in recent years. Here we present an overview of the plastic industry, microplastics as contaminants in the Anthropocene and review the literature on microplastic contamination in Brazilian environmental matrices with their respective methodologies.
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This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastics as globally distributed environmental contaminants, covering their sources, transport pathways, and ecological impacts. Researchers highlight that these plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm are now detected in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments and can enter food webs, while noting significant research gaps in monitoring and risk assessment.
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