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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic particles in groundwater systems worldwide
ClearMicroplastics in groundwater: a global analysis
Researchers conducted a global groundwater sampling study to characterize microplastic contamination in aquifer systems worldwide, investigating transport mechanisms and fate of particles in anoxic subsurface environments where knowledge gaps remain despite extensive research on surface water systems.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastics in groundwater: a global analysis
Researchers conducted a global groundwater sampling study — collecting approximately 300 litres per site from caves, boreholes, monitoring wells, and surface springs worldwide using a standardised filtration protocol — to characterise microplastic contamination in these poorly studied anoxic systems. The study presented first results aimed at closing a major knowledge gap about microplastic transport and fate in global groundwater resources.
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.
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.
Assessing microplastic (>25μm) presence in groundwater systems in England
This study — the first to systematically assess microplastics in groundwater across England — found microplastic particles present in aquifer samples and developed a standardized sampling protocol comparing different aquifer types and borehole environments. Groundwater contamination is particularly concerning because it serves as a major drinking water source, and this work lays the groundwork for national-level monitoring and regulation.
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.
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.
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.
Understanding 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.
Microplastics pollution in groundwater: Case study - Slovenia
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Slovenian groundwater, which supplies drinking water to 98% of the population, characterizing MP occurrence, transport, and risk across multiple aquifer systems affected by urban, industrial, and agricultural activities.
Research Progress of Microplastic Pollution in the Vadose Zone
This review summarizes research on microplastic pollution in the vadose zone — the unsaturated soil layer between the surface and groundwater — examining sources, migration pathways, and environmental factors that control how microplastics move through soil toward groundwater aquifers.
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.
Microplastic particles in karst and alluvial aquifers
Researchers studied microplastic particle occurrence and distribution in karst and alluvial aquifer systems, investigating how these subsurface environments serve as sinks or conduits for plastic pollution. The study contributed data on groundwater microplastic contamination in geologically distinct aquifer types.
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.
Microplastics transport during Managed Aquifer Recharge – A potential cause of groundwater contamination?
Researchers measured microplastics at multiple stages of a major managed aquifer recharge system in Switzerland and found that plastic particles from the Rhine River can penetrate through the treatment process into pumped groundwater, raising concerns about drinking water quality.
Microplastic pollution in Slovenia's groundwater.
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Slovenia's groundwater, documenting contamination pathways from urban, agricultural, and industrial activities and assessing the extent to which synthetic particles have infiltrated subsurface drinking water sources in a country where groundwater supplies approximately 98% of drinking water.
Distribution and transport of microplastics in groundwater (Shiraz aquifer, southwest Iran)
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in groundwater from an alluvial aquifer in a semi-arid region of Iran. They identified microplastics in all sampled wells, with fibers and fragments being the most common shapes and polyethylene the dominant polymer type. The study demonstrates that groundwater, an important source of drinking water, is not immune to microplastic contamination and calls for more research on transport mechanisms in subsurface environments.