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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Groundwater Pollution and Contamination: Sources, Impacts, Management, and the Integration of AI/ML for Future Solutions
ClearUnderstanding Microplastic Pollution in Groundwater: Pathways, Health Implications and Solutions
This review examines how microplastics infiltrate groundwater systems through pathways including landfills, agricultural runoff, water treatment facilities, and aging plastic pipes. Researchers found that once in groundwater, microplastics can persist for long periods and degrade water quality while interacting with other subsurface contaminants. The study highlights that groundwater microplastic contamination is an underappreciated threat to one of humanity's most important freshwater sources.
Groundwater in the age of plastic
This review examines microplastic contamination of groundwater globally, synthesizing studies on occurrence, transport pathways through soil and aquifer matrices, and the emerging implications for drinking water safety and groundwater ecosystem health.
Microplastic accumulation in groundwater: Data-scaled insights and future research
This data-driven review of nearly 400 groundwater samples worldwide found that microplastics are present in both shallow and deep groundwater, with open groundwater sources showing higher contamination than enclosed aquifers. The findings are relevant to human health because groundwater supplies drinking water for billions of people, and the study identifies key gaps in our understanding of how microplastics accumulate underground.
Control strategies for microplastic pollution in groundwater
This review summarizes how microplastics migrate from soil into groundwater and the strategies available to control this contamination. Researchers found that microplastic concentrations in groundwater vary by region, with factors like soil type and land use influencing how particles travel underground. The study highlights the urgency of developing effective control measures since groundwater is a primary drinking water source for much of the world's population.
Groundwater systems under siege: The silent invasion of microplastics and cock-tails worldwide
This review reveals that groundwater, a critical drinking water source for billions of people, is increasingly contaminated with microplastics from surface pollution seeping downward through soil. Unlike ocean and river pollution, groundwater microplastic contamination has received far less research attention, leaving major gaps in understanding how plastics migrate underground. The findings are alarming because contaminated groundwater directly enters drinking water supplies with little to no treatment in many regions.
Microplastics contamination of groundwater: Current evidence and future perspectives. A review
This review examines the current evidence on microplastic contamination of groundwater, which supplies drinking water to over 2 billion people worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics can reach groundwater through atmospheric deposition, surface water interaction, urban infrastructure, and agricultural soils, though detection remains challenging. The study proposes a new "Hydrogeoplastic Model" framework and calls for improved detection methods to better characterize microplastic fate in aquifer systems.
Urban and Groundwater Microplastic Contamination: Sources, Distribution, Impacts, and Remediation Technologies
This review addressed microplastic contamination in urban environments and groundwater systems, covering source pathways from roads and stormwater runoff, distribution through urban catchments, and potential impacts on drinking water aquifers. It highlighted groundwater as an understudied but critical exposure pathway.
Review of Current Issues and Management Strategies of Microplastics in Groundwater Environments
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic contamination in groundwater, identifying it as a substantially understudied environment compared to surface water and marine systems. The authors describe pathways by which microplastics enter aquifers and discuss management strategies for this largely invisible contamination route.
A Review of the Status, Effects, Prevention, and Remediation of Groundwater Contamination for Sustainable Environment
This review examines the state of groundwater contamination worldwide, including pollution from industrial chemicals, pesticides, and plastic-related contaminants. Unsafe water contributed to 1.2 million deaths globally in 2019, with low-income countries disproportionately affected. The paper discusses various cleanup methods and emphasizes the urgent need to protect groundwater, which is a primary source of drinking water for billions of people.
A comprehensive review on microplastics: Their presence in surface and ground water, environmental distribution, and impact on human and aquatic systems
This comprehensive review examines the distribution, environmental behavior, and health impacts of microplastics in surface water and groundwater systems. Researchers summarized how microplastics enter surface waters and subsequently infiltrate groundwater, acting as carriers for other contaminants along the way. The study emphasizes the need for standardized analytical procedures for groundwater microplastic research and highlights the role of particle size and morphology in determining potential health effects.
Future Global Groundwater Quality Challenges
This review outlines emerging and legacy groundwater quality challenges that threaten drinking water security globally, including microplastic contamination alongside chemical and microbial pollutants. The authors call for improved monitoring and treatment infrastructure to protect future groundwater supplies.
An Overview of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Sources, Transport Pathways, and Environmental Implications
This review examined microplastic contamination in groundwater systems, an area that has received less research attention compared to surface water. Researchers identified key sources and transport pathways for microplastics entering groundwater, including infiltration through soil and fractured rock, and highlighted the environmental implications for drinking water supplies.
Environmental chemistry, toxicity and health risk assessment of groundwater: Environmental persistence and management strategies
This review examines groundwater contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics, and emerging pollutants, assessing health risks and highlighting the need for integrated management strategies to protect this critical freshwater resource.
Water Pollution: A Menace to Mankind
This review discusses sources of water contamination — including faecal, domestic, and industrial wastes — and their threats to human and aquatic health, with a focus on microplastic pollution as an emerging concern. The authors call for improved water management policies to safeguard human health.
Microplastic pollution in groundwater: a systematic review
This systematic review reveals that microplastics have been found in groundwater sources worldwide, raising concerns about drinking water safety. Detection methods and reported contamination levels vary widely, highlighting the need for standardized testing to fully understand the scope of the problem.
Microplastics in Groundwater: Pathways, Occurrence, and Monitoring Challenges
This review provides a comprehensive look at how microplastics make their way into groundwater from surface water, seawater, and soil, and examines the challenges researchers face in detecting and monitoring them. The study found that a lack of standardized sampling and analysis methods makes it difficult to compare findings across different studies. Researchers emphasize the importance of understanding local geological conditions and preventing sample contamination to improve the reliability of groundwater microplastic monitoring.
A Global Review of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Empirical Evidence and Latin American Perspectives
Scientists reviewed 129 studies and found that tiny pieces of plastic (called microplastics) are contaminating groundwater around the world, which is concerning because groundwater provides drinking water to billions of people. The research shows we don't know enough about this problem, especially in Latin America where only two studies have actually tested groundwater for plastic contamination. This matters because we need better monitoring and policies to protect our underground water sources from plastic pollution that could affect human health.
Detecting Emerging Contaminants in Groundwater: Risks to Ecosystems and Human Health
This review examines how emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics infiltrate groundwater through landfill leaching, septic systems, and agricultural runoff. Researchers highlight the challenges of detecting these pollutants at low concentrations and their ability to persist and spread through groundwater systems. The study emphasizes the urgent need for advanced detection technologies and stronger regulatory frameworks to protect groundwater resources.
Global status, risk assessment, and knowledge gaps of microplastics in groundwater: A bibliometric analysis
This review analyzed 215 published studies on microplastics in groundwater and found that this area of research is still in its early stages compared to surface water studies. Evidence indicates that microplastic contamination is present in groundwater worldwide, but sampling methods and reported results vary widely. The authors identified significant knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics move through underground water systems and what risks they may pose to drinking water sources.
Research advances of micro/nanoplastics in groundwater: occurrence, environmental impacts and control strategies
This review examines the emerging issue of microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in groundwater systems, covering their sources, distribution patterns, potential environmental risks, and removal strategies. Researchers highlight that the strong heterogeneity and complexity of underground environments make studying microplastic migration particularly challenging. The study identifies significant knowledge gaps in sampling methods and calls for more research into how microplastics move through groundwater aquifers.
Microplastics in groundwater: Environmental fate and possible interactions with coexisting contaminants
This review looked at how microplastics end up in groundwater and what happens when they interact with other pollutants already present. Researchers found that microplastic contamination in groundwater varies widely around the world, with levels ranging from zero to nearly 7,000 particles per liter. The study highlights that microplastics can act as carriers for other harmful substances, potentially increasing their ability to spread through groundwater and pose risks to ecosystems and human health.
Trends of global concerns on groundwater contamination and future directions
A bibliometric review of nearly 39,000 groundwater contamination studies from 1991–2024 tracks a shift in research focus from classic pollutants toward emerging contaminants including microplastics, PFAS, and pharmaceuticals, while noting most of these remain unregulated. The review is relevant to microplastic risk assessment because it identifies groundwater — a source of drinking water for billions — as a frontier where microplastic research and regulation urgently need to catch up.
Microplastics Pollution in the Groundwater of Three Land Use Types, Southeastern Hungary
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in groundwater across three land use types in southeastern Hungary, providing data on the rate and distribution of microplastic contamination in a freshwater resource that has received far less study than surface water bodies.
Global distribution, drivers, and potential hazards of microplastics in groundwater: A review
This review maps the global distribution of microplastics in groundwater and finds that contamination is widespread, with fiber-shaped particles and polyethylene being the most common types detected. The study highlights that climate change and local geology play underappreciated roles in how microplastics move through soil into groundwater, which is a drinking water source for billions of people worldwide.