WEATHER-MIC: how microplastic weathering changes its transport, fate and toxicity in the marine environment

Imitating the Weathering of Microplastics in the Marine Environment

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Laboratory weathering experiments simulating UV exposure, mechanical abrasion, and saltwater immersion accelerated the fragmentation of plastic samples into microplastics, replicating processes that occur over years in the marine environment. Understanding these degradation mechanisms is essential for predicting how quickly plastic debris transforms into the smaller particles that are most difficult to remove and most readily ingested by marine organisms.

Fate factors for microplastics in the marine environment

Combined abiotic and biotic weathering of microplastic particles: Alterations of their physicochemical properties and interactions with cells

Microplastic Fate and Impacts in the Environment

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Microplastic pollution has been documented across virtually every ecosystem on Earth — from ocean surfaces to deep-sea floors, polar regions to tropical soils, and in organisms spanning the full breadth of the food web. This pervasive distribution confirms that microplastic exposure is now universal and that understanding long-term fate and biological impacts is one of the most pressing environmental health challenges of our time.

Microplastic Fate and Impacts in the Environment

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Microplastic pollution has been documented across virtually every ecosystem on Earth, from sea surfaces to deep sediments, polar regions to tropical rivers, and inside a wide range of organisms spanning multiple trophic levels. This comprehensive environmental presence confirms that microplastics pose systemic risks to biodiversity and human health through multiple exposure pathways.