Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the distribution and abundance of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems

Researchers reviewed nearly 6,500 articles to identify the environmental and human factors driving microplastic distribution in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. They found that both natural factors like water flow and temperature, and human activities like urbanization and agriculture, significantly influence where microplastics accumulate in rivers and lakes. The study provides a framework for predicting microplastic pollution hotspots and prioritizing monitoring efforts in freshwater systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 94 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

Microplastics Pollution: A Brief Review of Its Source and Abundance in Different Aquatic Ecosystems

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic sources and abundance across different aquatic ecosystems including rivers, lakes, and oceans. Researchers found that microplastics are pervasive across all water environments, with concentrations influenced by nearby human activities and pollution sources. The study identifies key pathways through which microplastics enter aquatic habitats and calls for standardized monitoring methods to better track contamination levels.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Environmental Ubiquity, Biological Fate, and Human Health Implications

This review summarizes the current understanding of microplastics as a growing global contaminant affecting both ecosystems and human health. Researchers note that microplastics can carry harmful compounds and have been found throughout the environment and in the human body, while global regulatory frameworks remain insufficient. The study calls for enhanced monitoring, stricter regulations, and source-reduction strategies to address the long-term risks of microplastic exposure.

2025 International Journal of Sciences and Innovation Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

This review examined microplastics as ubiquitous pollutants in aquatic environments, tracing their origins in large-scale plastic production and inadequate waste management systems and synthesizing evidence on their distribution, ecological impacts, and implications for global water quality.

2022 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

Mapping global microplastic pollution: Integrating advanced detection and monitoring in aquatic ecosystems

This review maps the global distribution of microplastic contamination across marine, river, lake, and estuarine environments using advanced detection and monitoring methods. Researchers found that contamination is widespread across all aquatic ecosystems, with significant variation driven by local sources and water dynamics. The study emphasizes the need for cross-compartment monitoring approaches that track how microplastics move between air, land, and water systems.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on the environmental fate, toxicological risks, and cutting-edge degradation methods of microplastics contamination

Researchers reviewed the global spread of microplastics, documenting concentrations reaching up to 2 million particles per square kilometer in some regions and cataloging their toxic effects on ecosystems and human health. The review highlights an urgent need for coordinated strategies including biodegradable plastics, better wastewater filtration, and international policy to address what it calls an escalating environmental threat.

2025 Environmental Sciences Europe 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the complex impact of microplastics on environmental health, ecosystems, and humans

This comprehensive review consolidates current knowledge on microplastic pollution across marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments. Researchers examined sources, transport pathways, impacts on living organisms, sampling techniques, and regulatory challenges, highlighting significant gaps in understanding the full scope of microplastic effects on ecosystems and human well-being.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management
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

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Critical Review of Sources, Transport Mechanisms and Ecotoxicological Risks

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution in rivers, oceans, and other aquatic environments, covering where these particles come from, how they move through water systems, and the harm they can cause. Evidence indicates that microplastics accumulate toxins and disrupt growth, feeding, and reproduction in aquatic species, with potential consequences for human health through seafood and drinking water. The authors stress the need for better global monitoring, stronger waste management systems, and development of eco-friendly plastic alternatives.

2025 Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic systems: A review of occurrence, monitoring and potential environmental risks

Researchers review the presence of microplastics — tiny plastic fragments less than 5 mm — across freshwater and marine environments worldwide, finding that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are the most commonly detected types. Exposure disrupts feeding, movement, and reproduction in aquatic wildlife, and the authors call for standardized measurement methods and legal limits to protect ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Advances 80 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

Microplastics in aquatic systems, a comprehensive review: origination, accumulation, impact, and removal technologies

This comprehensive review traced the sources of microplastics in aquatic environments, from industrial products and packaging to cosmetics and agricultural materials, and examined their toxic effects on living organisms. Researchers found that microplastics are remarkably stable and widespread, posing growing ecotoxicological risks to aquatic ecosystems. The study also evaluated current removal technologies, noting their advantages and limitations, and warns that without better strategies, microplastic pollution will become significantly worse in coming decades.

2022 RSC Advances 134 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and importance of microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the sources, fate, effects, and potential solutions

This review synthesized research on the distribution and significance of microplastics across the marine environment, covering sources, transport pathways, ecological interactions, and the state of knowledge on biological and chemical effects.

2017 Environment International 2517 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution: Fate, Sources, Transport and Identification

This review summarizes the sources, fate, transport, and identification methods for microplastics in aquatic and terrestrial environments, highlighting their global distribution across all ecosystems and the growing concern for their impacts on marine life, other organisms, and human health.

2023 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and regulation of microplastic pollution for protecting planetary and human health

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution, covering sources, environmental distribution, detection methods, health effects, and regulatory efforts. Researchers found that microplastics are now present in virtually every environment on Earth, from deep oceans to remote mountain regions, and can carry harmful chemicals and pathogens. The study calls for coordinated global action to reduce plastic production, improve waste management, and establish health-based exposure limits.

2022 Environmental Pollution 122 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic environments: A review on occurrence, distribution, toxic effects, and implications for human health

This review examines the global occurrence of microplastics in aquatic environments and their potential impacts on both aquatic organisms and human health. Researchers found that microplastics are now present in virtually all freshwater and marine systems, where they cause a range of harmful effects including oxidative stress, inflammation, and reproductive disruption in aquatic species. The study highlights trophic transfer, where microplastics move up the food chain, as a key pathway of human exposure.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 230 citations
Review Tier 2

Estimating global marine surface microplastic abundance: systematic literature review

Researchers conducted a systematic literature review to estimate global marine surface microplastic abundance, compiling data from studies worldwide to produce abundance maps. The study found significant variation in microplastic concentrations across different ocean regions, providing a broader picture of the scale and distribution of marine microplastic pollution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics in water and aquatic systems

This review examines the sources, distribution, and effects of microplastics in water and aquatic systems globally. Researchers found that microplastics are ingested by a wide range of aquatic organisms, leading to accumulation of toxic substances and disruption of physiological functions. The study highlights the urgent need for better waste management policies and further research into the long-term ecological consequences of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 747 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Global Review of Distribution, Ecotoxicological Impacts, and Human Health Risks

This global review summarizes how microplastics are distributed across freshwater, marine, and polar environments, and examines their ecological and human health impacts. People are exposed through contaminated seafood, water, and air, and research links microplastic exposure to oxidative stress, inflammation, hormone disruption, and possible genetic effects at the cellular level.

2025 Water 20 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

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, determination and environmental fate of microplastics in aquatic system

This review examines the occurrence, detection methods, and environmental fate of microplastics across aquatic systems worldwide. Researchers synthesize evidence showing microplastics are ubiquitous in rivers, lakes, and oceans, and highlight the need for standardized monitoring and better understanding of long-term ecological impacts.

2020 HKBU Institutional Repository (Hong Kong Baptist University)