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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Plastic pollution: Where are we regarding research and risk assessment in support of management and regulation?
ClearMicroplastic pollution - what have we learned from the last 20 years of research and what are the priorities ahead?
This paper reviewed two decades of microplastic research progress, from the 2004 discovery paper through current knowledge on sources, environmental distribution, and effects. Key findings are that the field has matured substantially, though standardized methodologies and long-term health impact data are still needed.
How problems with microplastics in research and application can be overcome
This methodological review addressed common problems in micro- and nanoplastic research, including challenges in hazard identification, exposure assessment, and risk characterization arising from the complex mixture nature of MNPs. The authors proposed practical solutions and standardization approaches to improve the reliability of microplastic risk assessments.
Screening and prioritization of nano- and microplastic particle toxicity studies for evaluating human health risks – development and application of a toxicity study assessment tool
Researchers developed a standardized tool to screen and rank toxicity studies on nano- and microplastics by quality and relevance, addressing a critical gap in how scientists evaluate which studies should inform human health risk assessments for these widespread plastic pollutants.
Microplastic pollution - what have we learned from the last 20 years of research and what are the priorities ahead?
This paper reviewed 20 years of microplastic research since the foundational 2004 study, summarizing what has been learned about sources, distribution, ecological impacts, and remaining knowledge gaps. The review emphasizes that while understanding has grown dramatically, key questions about dose-response relationships and long-term ecological effects remain unresolved.
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.
Confronting plastic pollution to protect environmental and public health
This collection of expert commentaries assessed critical challenges in microplastic science and policy, covering detection methods, toxicological dose-response relationships, risk assessment frameworks, and the gap between scientific evidence and regulatory action, concluding that urgent method standardization is needed.
Advancing the quality of environmental microplastic research
This review examines the rapidly growing field of environmental microplastic research, discussing the methodological inconsistencies that limit comparability across studies and calling for improved quality standards to support robust regulatory and scientific conclusions.
Environmental prevalence, fate, impacts, and mitigation of microplastics—a critical review on present understanding and future research scope
This critical review evaluates the environmental prevalence, fate, impacts, and mitigation of microplastics across aquatic, atmospheric, and terrestrial environments as well as human tissues. It discusses membrane-based and other treatment technologies for microplastic removal, identifying persistent monitoring and standardization challenges.
A critical viewpoint on current issues, limitations, and future research needs on micro- and nanoplastic studies: From the detection to the toxicological assessment.
This critical review examines the current methods for detecting and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental samples, as well as reported toxic effects from in vivo and in vitro studies. The authors found that while substantial effort has been made to understand microplastic behavior, the scientific community is still far from a complete understanding of how these particles behave in biological systems. The review calls for improved standardized protocols and more studies focused on uptake kinetics, accumulation, and biodistribution.
Quantification of microplastics: Which parameters are essential for a reliable inter-study comparison?
Inconsistent measurement methods make it very difficult to compare microplastic data across studies. This paper proposes standardized guidelines for quantifying microplastic size and shape distributions, which would allow scientists to better track pollution levels over time and across locations.
Nano-plastics and their analytical characterisation and fate in the marine environment: From source to sea
Researchers reviewed the sources, environmental fate, organism interactions, and analytical detection methods for nano-sized plastic polymers in the marine environment, concluding that nanoplastics pose the greatest ecological risk among plastic size fractions and that standardized analytical protocols for nanoplastic characterization are urgently needed.
Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?
This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.
Micro- and Nano-Plastics Contaminants in the Environment: Sources, Fate, Toxicity, Detection, Remediation, and Sustainable Perspectives
This review provides a broad overview of micro- and nanoplastic pollution, covering where these particles come from, how they spread through the environment, and the damage they cause to living things including humans. The authors also compare different methods for removing microplastics from the environment, including physical, chemical, and biological approaches. The paper calls for more research and global cooperation to develop better tools for measuring the health risks of plastic pollution.
Micro and nanoplastics in the environment: Research priorities for the near future
This perspective paper identifies the most urgent research priorities for micro- and nanoplastics, including better standardized methods, more realistic environmental exposure studies, and greater focus on human health effects. The authors argue that current research is fragmented and needs better coordination to inform policy.
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.
Critical gaps in nanoplastics research and their connection to risk assessment
This paper identifies critical knowledge gaps in nanoplastics research and explains why they matter for assessing health and environmental risks. Nanoplastics are harder to detect and measure than larger microplastics, meaning current pollution estimates likely undercount total plastic contamination. The authors call for better detection methods and standardized research approaches to understand the true scope of nanoplastic exposure.
The Current Status of Atmospheric Micro/Nanoplastics Research: Characterization, Analytical Methods, Fate, and Human Health Risk
This review synthesizes current knowledge on atmospheric micro- and nanoplastics, covering their characterization, analytical methods, environmental fate, and human health risks while highlighting the need for standardized sampling protocols to enable cross-study comparisons.
Moving forward in microplastic research: A Norwegian perspective
This Norwegian perspective reviewed current knowledge gaps in microplastic research and argued that the field must move from contamination surveys toward risk-based assessments that can directly inform management decisions, calling for standardized methods, long-term monitoring programs, and closer collaboration between researchers and policymakers.
Assessing and managing environmental hazards of polymers: historical development, science advances and policy options
Researchers critically reviewed how polymer environmental safety regulations, largely unchanged since the 1990s, fail to keep pace with scientific understanding of plastic pollution. They identified four key areas needing regulatory attention, including better transparency about polymer identities, improved understanding of environmental fate across size categories, and more comprehensive hazard assessments. The study suggests that current regulatory frameworks worldwide need significant updates to adequately manage the environmental risks posed by polymers.
Nanoplastics in the oceans: Theory, experimental evidence and real world
Researchers critically review over 200 studies on nanoplastic pollution — focusing predominantly on polystyrene — synthesizing knowledge on how nanoplastics form from polymer degradation, accumulate in seawater, and affect organisms in controlled conditions, while identifying key methodological standards needed for reliable ecotoxicological assessments.