Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics monitoring in freshwater systems: A review of global efforts, knowledge gaps, and research priorities

This review of global microplastic monitoring in freshwater systems found that contamination is widespread, with higher levels near areas of intense human activity in the US, Europe, and China. The lack of standardized testing methods makes it difficult to compare results across studies, which hampers efforts to assess risks to drinking water safety and human health.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment: Occurrence, Persistence, Analysis, and Human Exposure

This review synthesizes global research on microplastic occurrence in aquatic environments, from rivers and lakes to wastewater and seafood, and examines how these particles eventually reach humans. Researchers found that microplastics are now ubiquitous in freshwater and marine systems, with trophic transfer and biomagnification serving as key routes of human exposure. The study highlights the need for standardized sampling and analysis methods to enable better comparison across studies and more accurate risk assessment.

2021 Water 104 citations
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

Sources, Occurrence, and Analysis of Microplastics in Freshwater Environments

This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic sources and occurrence in freshwater environments, noting that freshwater systems are major conduits delivering microplastics to the ocean. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic research lags far behind marine studies despite rivers and lakes being primary pollution pathways.

2022 6 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Contamination, an Emerging Threat to the Freshwater Environment and Human Health: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in freshwater environments and its implications for human health. The evidence shows that microplastics are widespread in rivers, lakes, and drinking water sources, and they can absorb toxic chemicals, making freshwater plastic pollution a direct concern for the safety of our water supply.

2023 Preprints.org 1 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 Fresh Water

This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic pollution in freshwater systems, covering sources such as atmospheric deposition, stormwater runoff, and wastewater, as well as the diverse shapes, sizes, and polymer types found in rivers and lakes. The authors highlight that freshwater microplastic contamination is comparable in scale to marine contamination and that the pathways to human health via drinking water and food supply demand urgent policy attention.

2023 INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Freshwater Microplastics

This book chapter or review provided a comprehensive overview of freshwater microplastics — covering sources, occurrence, transport pathways, and ecological impacts in rivers and lakes globally.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 661 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic environment: Challenges and perspectives

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in water environments, covering sources, transport, health effects, detection methods, and control strategies. Microplastics enter waterways from everyday plastic products, industrial discharge, and wastewater treatment plants, where aquatic organisms ingest them and pass them up the food chain. The review highlights the urgent need for better analytical techniques and global policies to reduce microplastic contamination that ultimately reaches human food and drinking water.

2021 Chemosphere 298 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Analysis, prevalence and impact of microplastics in freshwater and estuarine environments: an evidence review

This systematic review summarized the existing research on microplastics in freshwater rivers, lakes, and estuaries. It found that current microplastic levels in most freshwater environments are below the concentrations that cause lethal harm to aquatic life, but the highest-pollution sites may already pose risks for subtler health effects on fish and other organisms. The review also highlighted that different sampling methods produce very different results, making it hard to compare studies.

2020 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in water is a threat for human health and the environment (literature review)

This literature review examines the growing problem of microplastic contamination in water bodies and drinking water worldwide. Evidence indicates that microplastics pose concerns for human health both through their physical effects and through the chemicals and microorganisms they can carry, with studies confirming their presence in marine and freshwater environments across multiple countries.

2023 Health risk analysis 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water: occurrence, detection, and impacts – a comprehensive review of multiple studies

This comprehensive review synthesized current knowledge on microplastic occurrence, detection methods, and impacts across marine, freshwater, and remote aquatic ecosystems. Researchers highlighted that microplastic concentrations are particularly high in urban rivers, transported through runoff, atmospheric deposition, and river input. The review identifies critical research gaps including the need for standardized detection methods and more studies on chronic human exposure through contaminated seafood and drinking water.

2026 Water Practice & Technology
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics in freshwater systems

This review summarized scientific knowledge about microplastic impacts in freshwater systems, covering sources, distribution, ingestion by organisms, and potential ecological effects. It identifies freshwater ecosystems as both reservoirs and pathways for microplastic transport to the oceans, with impacts on freshwater biodiversity and potentially on drinking water quality.

2017 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Freshwater Environment: A Review on Techniques and Abundance for Microplastic Detection in Lake Water

This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater environments, summarizing detection techniques and reporting on abundance data from rivers, lakes, and streams worldwide. The authors highlight methodological inconsistencies that complicate cross-study comparisons and call for standardized sampling and analysis protocols.

2023 Trends in Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in freshwater environments, covering sources, distribution, and ecological impacts in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Researchers found that freshwater microplastic contamination is widespread globally but that standardized sampling and analysis methods are still lacking. The study calls for more consistent research approaches so that contamination levels across different water bodies can be meaningfully compared.

2018 Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 3293 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond the ocean: contamination of freshwater ecosystems with (micro-)plastic particles

This review examined the available data on microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and urban water systems — and found it to be widespread globally, though often underreported compared to marine environments. The authors highlight the need for reliable concentration data and chemical characterization of freshwater plastics to properly assess ecological risk.

2015 Environmental Chemistry 540 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review on occurrence, environmental effects, and methods for microplastics detection

This review summarizes the current understanding of microplastic contamination in freshwater systems, from sources like wastewater treatment plants to their effects on aquatic life. Researchers note that microplastics can carry toxic chemicals and have been shown to cause intestinal damage and metabolic changes in fish. The paper highlights that freshwater microplastic pollution is a significant and growing concern that warrants more research attention.

2017 Water Research 2136 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 progresses of microplastic pollution in freshwater systems

This review examines the widespread presence of microplastics in freshwater systems around the world, finding concentrations that vary by several orders of magnitude across different regions. Researchers identified fibers as the most common shape, with polypropylene and polyethylene as the dominant polymer types, primarily originating from human activities like sewage discharge. The study highlights concerns about microplastic contamination in drinking water and its potential effects on aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Impacts of Microplastics in Freshwater Fish

This review summarizes research on microplastic occurrence in freshwater fish across multiple regions, examining ingestion rates, polymer types, and potential health effects. The authors highlight that freshwater fish are widely exposed to microplastics and call for more standardized monitoring to assess risks to fish and to people who eat them.

2017 Journal of Aquaculture & Marine Biology 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems in India: A Comprehensive Review

This review examines the occurrence, sources, and ecological risks of microplastics across freshwater ecosystems in India, synthesizing current literature on contamination levels in rivers, lakes, and other inland water bodies.

2025 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND ANALYTICAL REVIEWS
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water: Assessing Occurrence and Potential Risks

This review paper examines how widespread microplastics are in drinking water — from rivers and lakes to groundwater — and what health risks this contamination may pose. The authors call for urgent research into how microplastics move through water treatment systems and ultimately reach taps, emphasizing that current sampling and analytical methods are inconsistent, making it hard to compare studies or set safety thresholds. For people drinking tap or bottled water daily, understanding and regulating this exposure pathway is a pressing public health priority.

2023 Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology 2 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
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Environments

This chapter reviews microplastic pollution across freshwater environments including rivers, lakes, groundwater, glaciers, and deltas, identifying knowledge gaps and highlighting risks to freshwater ecosystems and human health from widespread plastic contamination.

2023 7 citations