Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in freshwater environments: A multidisciplinary review

This multidisciplinary review covers microplastic sources, abundance, composition, transport, and biological effects in freshwater systems globally, arguing that freshwater environments are both major conduits and sinks for microplastic pollution.

2020 Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Freshwater Microplastics: Challenges for Regulation and Management

This book chapter reviews the regulatory and management challenges posed by microplastic contamination of freshwater systems, noting that most policy attention has focused on marine environments. The authors call for freshwater-specific monitoring frameworks and coordinated international action to reduce plastic inputs to rivers and lakes.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in freshwater sediments: The pollution status assessment and sustainable management measures

This study assessed microplastic pollution levels in freshwater sediments across 84 study areas worldwide. Researchers found widespread contamination with significant variation in microplastic types, concentrations, and sources depending on the region and local land use. The review proposes sustainable management measures to address this growing threat to freshwater ecosystems and drinking water supplies.

2023 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Detection, source tracing, and sustainable management strategies

This review paper summarizes what we know about microplastics in water environments, including how they spread, how to detect them, and how to manage the problem. It highlights that microplastics can carry toxic substances and calls for stronger global policies and new cleanup methods like biodegradation to protect ecosystems and human health.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Freshwater – Regulatory Barriers for Better Water Protection

This review examines regulatory barriers to freshwater microplastic protection, analyzing the limitations of existing water quality frameworks in addressing microplastic pollution in rivers and lakes. The authors argue that jurisdictional fragmentation, lack of standardized monitoring methods, and absence of enforceable microplastic-specific limits prevent effective water protection.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Law = Agrár- és Környezetjog
Review Tier 2

Freshwater Pollution by Microplastics: Sources, Consequences and Mitigation Strategies (literature Review)

This review covers freshwater microplastic pollution, examining sources including agricultural runoff, wastewater effluent, and atmospheric deposition, along with ecological consequences and available mitigation strategies. The authors emphasize that effective freshwater microplastic management requires integrated approaches spanning wastewater treatment improvement, source reduction, and improved plastic waste management.

2024 NNC RK Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Detection to Remediation: Strategies for Managing Microplastic Pollution in Freshwater Systems

This review outlines strategies for detecting and remediating microplastic pollution in freshwater systems, covering primary and secondary sources, conventional and emerging detection techniques, and remediation approaches including filtration, bioremediation, and policy interventions.

2025 International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering
Article Tier 2

Mitigating Microplastic Pollution in Urban Water Systems: A Global Overview With Governance Perspectives From Kerala State, India

This review examines the governance challenges of addressing microplastic pollution in urban water systems, focusing on Kerala, India, where monsoon runoff and inadequate waste management have led to high contamination levels in aquatic environments. Researchers found that while policies exist, enforcement gaps and insufficient waste infrastructure allow microplastics to persist in water bodies, soil, and marine ecosystems. The study recommends integrated waste management strategies and stronger regulatory frameworks as essential steps for reducing urban microplastic pollution.

2025 Environmental Quality Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems: Challenges and Perspectives

A comprehensive review covered the challenges and future directions for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, synthesizing knowledge on sources, fate, ecological impacts, and removal strategies. The paper provides a roadmap for research and policy priorities to reduce aquatic microplastic contamination.

2025 Environments 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic pollution in urban freshwater environments and legislative progress in China: Recommendations and insights

This critical review examines microplastic pollution across urban freshwater environments in China, synthesizing findings on contamination levels, sources, and ecological effects in a context of rapid urbanization affecting over 800 million urban residents. The authors review legislative progress and provide recommendations for improving monitoring standards, reducing plastic inputs, and aligning Chinese policy with international frameworks.

2020 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 75 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic contamination, an emerging threat to the freshwater environment: a systematic review

Researchers systematically reviewed the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and streams — documenting their sources, how they move through water, the damage they cause to aquatic organisms, and the methods used to detect them. Their review serves as a baseline reference for future research and calls for improved waste management to protect freshwater environments from ongoing microplastic contamination.

2024 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystem: A review of existing policies and regulations

This review examines existing government policies and regulations worldwide aimed at controlling microplastic pollution in water environments. While many countries have taken steps like banning microbeads in personal care products, the authors found that current efforts are insufficient to prevent microplastic release at scale. The study calls for stronger, more coordinated global regulations to protect both ecosystems and public health from microplastic contamination.

2024 Chemosphere 13 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs

This review synthesizes the growing body of research on microplastic contamination in freshwater rivers, lakes, and sediments, which has received far less attention than marine environments. Researchers found that freshwater microplastic concentrations can rival or exceed those reported in ocean studies, particularly near urban and industrial areas. The study identifies critical knowledge gaps including the lack of standardized sampling methods and limited understanding of how microplastics affect freshwater organisms and ecosystems.

2015 Water Research 2541 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress in sources, analytical methods, eco-environmental effects, and control measures of microplastics

This review synthesizes global research on microplastic sources, analytical methods, ecological effects, and governance, calling for unified quantitative analysis methods and clearer traceability tools. The authors emphasize that controlling microplastics requires integrated management combining organizational cooperation, technological development, and regulatory frameworks.

2020 Chemosphere 289 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment: A critical overview on its fate, toxicity, implications, management, and bioremediation strategies

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution, covering how these particles enter freshwater systems, accumulate in organisms, and carry toxic chemicals through the food chain. With approximately 360 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and only 7% recycled, microplastics have become a pervasive threat to water quality and, by extension, human health.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 252 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influencing aquatic environment and human health: A review of source, determination, distribution, removal, degradation, management strategy and future perspective

This review paper provides a broad summary of microplastic pollution in water environments, covering where they come from, how to detect them, how they spread, and how to remove them. The authors emphasize that microplastics persist for extremely long periods in water and can harm both aquatic life and human health, calling for better management strategies worldwide.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The Burden of Microplastics Pollution and Contending Policies and Regulations

This review examines the growing global burden of microplastic pollution and the policies being developed to address it. Researchers found that inadequate waste management systems allow massive amounts of plastic to contaminate terrestrial and aquatic environments, threatening ecosystems and the billions of people who depend on them. The study evaluates existing regulations and suggests that stronger, more coordinated policy frameworks are needed to curb microplastic pollution.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Governance Strategies for Mitigating Microplastic Pollution in the Marine Environment: A Review

This review assessed the sources, spread, and impacts of microplastic pollution in marine environments and evaluated existing governance strategies for addressing the problem. Researchers found significant gaps in management approaches, including limited community involvement in monitoring and a lack of standardized mitigation strategies for coastal areas. The study calls for stronger policy interventions, more citizen science initiatives, and coordinated international efforts to reduce microplastic pollution in the oceans.

2021 Microplastics 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water resources: Global pollution circle, possible technological solutions, legislations, and future horizon

This review summarizes the global scope of microplastic contamination in water and sediment, finding levels that vary enormously -- from near zero to thousands of particles per sample. Microplastics absorb other pollutants from their surroundings, potentially concentrating harmful chemicals, and they infiltrate food chains from the smallest organisms upward. The authors call for stronger legislation and a combination of technological innovation, recycling, and public awareness to address this widespread threat to ecosystems and human health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Prevailing Directives Regarding Microplastic Pollution

This review examines prevailing regulations and directives governing microplastic pollution, which enters land and water environments through inadequate plastic waste management and urban wastewater discharge. The authors analyze gaps in current policy frameworks and assess the effectiveness of existing global and regional legislative approaches.

2024
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Environmental Impacts, Detection Methods, Mitigation Strategies, and Policy Development — A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes what we know about microplastics in water — where they come from, how they spread, and the risks they pose to ecosystems and human health. It highlights that wastewater, urban runoff, and air are the main ways microplastics travel, and calls for better global policies and monitoring standards.

2026 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Updated review on microplastics in water, their occurrence, detection, measurement, environmental pollution, and the need for regulatory standards

This review examines microplastic occurrence, detection methods, and measurement techniques in aquatic environments, highlighting the urgent need for explicit regulatory frameworks to address the growing threat of microplastic pollution in water systems.

2021 Environmental Pollution 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

This overview examines the emerging problem of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments, covering sources, occurrence, and potential effects on aquatic ecosystems. The authors discuss how microplastics enter lakes and rivers through wastewater treatment plants, runoff, and degradation of larger plastic debris. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic pollution deserves the same research attention as marine contamination, given that rivers serve as major transport pathways for plastics reaching the ocean.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 384 citations
Article Tier 2

From Origins to Impacts: A Comprehensive Review of Microplastics in Freshwater Environments

This comprehensive review covers microplastics in freshwater ecosystems from sources and transport to biological uptake and food web effects, synthesizing current evidence on ecological risks and identifying research priorities.

2024 International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research