Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in sediments: A review of techniques, occurrence and effects

This review examined techniques, occurrence data, and ecological effects of microplastics in sediments, synthesizing evidence that sediments act as a major long-term repository for microplastic contamination in both freshwater and marine systems.

2015 Marine Environmental Research 1190 citations
Article Tier 2

A Global Perspective on Microplastic Occurrence in Sediments and Water with a Special Focus on Sources, Analytical Techniques, Health Risks, and Remediation Technologies

This global review covers microplastic sources, distribution in water and sediment, analytical detection methods, health risks, and cleanup technologies. The authors highlight that microplastics absorb toxic chemicals from their surroundings and can transfer those pollutants to organisms that ingest them. The review calls for standardized detection methods and more research on the long-term health effects of microplastic exposure in humans.

2023 Water 36 citations
Article Tier 2

A Study of the Toxic Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Aquatic Organisms and a Methodology for Dynamic Assessment

Researchers used stereomicroscopy and FTIR to characterize microplastics in aquatic samples and proposed a dynamic assessment methodology combining pollution risk index, pollution load index, and ecological risk index. The combined approach provided a more nuanced evaluation of microplastic contamination levels and associated ecological risks than single-index methods.

2025 Frontiers in artificial intelligence and applications
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: addressing ecological risk through lessons learned

Researchers reviewed the current state of microplastic ecological risk assessment and proposed applying lessons learned from more established fields of environmental research. The study suggests that despite widespread concern about microplastic pollution, scientific understanding of actual ecological risk remains limited, and future research should follow more rigorous risk assessment frameworks.

2015 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 312 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the environment: Recent developments in characteristic, occurrence, identification and ecological risk

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution across oceans, freshwater, soil, and the atmosphere, examining their sources, movement patterns, and ecological risks. Researchers found that while coastal environments have been well studied, much less is known about microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems. The study synthesizes data on microplastic toxicity, bioaccumulation in organisms, and environmental fate to support better risk assessment.

2022 Chemosphere 115 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of Recent Advances in Microplastic Ecological Risk Assessment: From Problem Formulation to Risk Characterization

This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles called microplastics are contaminating our environment and food chain, carrying harmful chemicals and pollutants that can end up in our bodies. Scientists still don't fully understand how dangerous these microplastics are to human health or how they move through the food we eat, from fish to drinking water. The researchers say we need better methods to study these risks so we can protect people and create policies to reduce plastic pollution.

2026 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Distribution, Sources, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Microplastics in the Lower Minjiang River

Researchers characterized microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer composition in surface water and sediments from the lower Minjiang River in China, then used pollution load indices and ecological risk assessments alongside socioeconomic data to identify likely pollution sources and ecological impacts.

2025 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastic particles

Researchers developed a framework for assessing the ecological risk of microplastic particles, incorporating particle characteristics, environmental concentrations, and species sensitivity data. The assessment identified conditions under which current environmental microplastic levels pose significant risk to aquatic organisms.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Tracing Footprint and Risk of Microplastics and Microfibers in the Lakes across China

Researchers surveyed microplastic and microfiber contamination in the sediments of 102 lakes across China, identifying pollution sources and developing a new risk assessment index. They found contamination levels ranging widely and were able to separate microfiber pollution from microplastic pollution to better trace their origins. The study provides a large-scale snapshot of lake contamination and introduces a tool for evaluating ecological risk from these particles.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastics in freshwater ecosystems

Researchers assessed the ecological risk of microplastics across freshwater ecosystems worldwide, including rivers and lakes in China, Vietnam, Europe, and South America. While one risk method showed negligible danger, more comprehensive assessment approaches revealed extreme ecological threats at every location studied, suggesting that microplastic pollution in freshwater may be more serious than previously thought.

2024 Chemosphere 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils: assessment, analytics and risks

This review examines microplastic prevalence, analytical methods, and risks in soils, finding that terrestrial microplastic contamination has received far less attention than marine accumulation despite comparable or greater abundance. Researchers evaluated current difficulties in soil microplastic sampling, isolation, and identification and called for standardised methodologies to assess ecological and human health risks.

2018 Environmental Chemistry 150 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an emerging hazard to terrestrial and marine ecosystems: Sources, Occurrence and Analytical Methods

This review summarized the sources, occurrence, and detection methods for microplastics across multiple environmental compartments, noting that methodological limitations make comparison across studies difficult. The review calls for standardized analytical approaches to better quantify global microplastic contamination.

2021 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics in soil: Occurrence, analytical methods, combined contamination and risks

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in soil ecosystems, covering sources, detection methods, and ecological impacts. Researchers found that soils are major reservoirs for microplastics, and the study highlights how combined contamination with other pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides may amplify risks to soil organisms and food safety.

2022 Environmental Pollution 75 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in ecosystems: Critical review of occurrence, distribution, toxicity, fate, transport, and advances in experimental and computational studies in surface and subsurface water

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic contamination across freshwater, marine, and land environments, finding concentrations ranging from negligible to hundreds of thousands of particles per kilogram of sediment. The most common types are polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, and PET, spread by wastewater discharge, stormwater runoff, and poor waste management. The wide variability in contamination levels makes it difficult to assess overall risk to ecosystems and human health.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection and degradation of microplastics in the environment: a review

This review covers methods for detecting and breaking down microplastics in the environment. Microplastics persist in ecosystems and pose potential risks to both human health and wildlife. The paper highlights the need for better tools and strategies to address this growing pollution problem.

2025 Environmental Science Advances 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Detection and Analysis from Water and Sediment: A Review

This review summarized current methods for detecting and analyzing microplastics in water and sediment samples, covering sampling techniques, extraction procedures, identification technologies, and quality control measures needed for reliable microplastic quantification.

2023 Macromolecular Symposia 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progresses and prospects of microplasticsin the environment

This review summarised research progress on microplastic detection, sources, distribution, and transport across marine, freshwater, soil, atmospheric, and biological environments, as well as microplastics' role as vectors for co-contaminants. The authors discussed prospects for future research including standardised monitoring methods, ecological risk assessment, and policy implications for microplastic pollution management.

2020 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Ecological Risk Assessment Studies Based on Source and Distribution of Microplastics from the Surface Sediments of Tropical Backwaters, Kerala, India

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in surface sediments of three tropical estuaries along the southwest coast of Kerala, India, finding 407 total particles and conducting ecological risk assessment to evaluate hazard levels from microplastic accumulation.

2023 Total Environment Research Themes 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution: An In-depth Review of its Sources, Formation Mechanisms, Quantification Techniques, Environmental Impacts, Toxicological Effects and Remediation Strategies

This comprehensive review covers the full scope of microplastic pollution, from where microplastics come from and how they form, to how scientists detect and measure them. Researchers summarized the environmental and health impacts of microplastic contamination across ecosystems including water, soil, and air. The study also evaluates current cleanup and remediation strategies, highlighting the need for coordinated global efforts to address this widespread form of pollution.

2025 World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews 2 citations