Papers

61,005 results
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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
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
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microplastics as Contaminants in Freshwater Ecosystems and Human Food Chain

This review examines the impacts of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems and human food chains, tracing how plastic particles enter rivers and lakes, accumulate in fish and invertebrates, and transfer to humans through consumption of contaminated freshwater species.

2025
Article Tier 2

A review on occurrence and environmental risk assessment for microplastics in freshwater systems

This review covers the occurrence, distribution, and health risks of microplastics across aquatic environments, food sources, and the atmosphere. It evaluates evidence for human exposure through multiple pathways and identifies gaps in understanding the full health impacts of chronic microplastic ingestion.

2019 The Korean Journal of Public Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, biological effects and biofilms of microplastics in freshwater systems - A review

This review examines microplastic distribution, biological effects, and biofilm formation in freshwater systems, highlighting knowledge gaps compared to marine studies and the ecological risks posed by microplastics as vectors for pathogens and pollutants.

2022 Chemosphere 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater systems: Occurrence and effects

This virtual special issue review synthesised current knowledge on the occurrence and effects of micro- and nanoplastics in freshwater systems, addressing a gap given that most prior research had focused on marine environments. Researchers highlighted that freshwater ecosystems are critical transport pathways for land-to-ocean plastic flux and documented the growing evidence for ecological effects on freshwater organisms and food webs.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems : effects and drivers

This thesis assessed how microplastic exposure affects freshwater microorganisms, macroinvertebrates, and other organisms in freshwater ecosystems, finding that microplastics are a pervasive contaminant of freshwater environments with unclear but potentially significant ecological impacts.

2024 Acta universitatis agriculturae Sueciae
Review Tier 2

Pollution of Freshwater Ecosystems by Microplastics: A Short Review on Degradation, Distribution, and Interaction with Aquatic Biota

This review synthesizes published literature on the distribution, degradation, and ecological interactions of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems globally. The paper covers MP distribution patterns, interactions with heavy metals in freshwater, and documented uptake by aquatic organisms along with associated biological impacts.

2023 Sohag Journal of Sciences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: A Silent Contaminant in Aquatic Ecosystems and Its Ecological Consequences

This review examines microplastics as a pervasive but underappreciated contaminant in aquatic ecosystems, synthesizing evidence on their sources, distribution, uptake pathways in aquatic organisms, and broader ecological consequences for freshwater and marine food webs.

2025 International Journal of Science Architecture Technology and Environment
Article Tier 2

Prevalence, Fate and Effects of Plastic in Freshwater Environments

This review summarizes the prevalence, environmental fate, and biological effects of plastics in freshwater ecosystems, an area that has received less attention than marine plastic pollution. Freshwater bodies are major pathways for microplastics to reach marine environments and are themselves affected by plastic contamination.

2021
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystems: Sources, Transport and Ecotoxicological Impacts on Aquatic Life and Human Health

This review summarizes how microplastics enter freshwater ecosystems from sources like industrial runoff, urban waste, and agriculture, and how they accumulate in sediments where aquatic organisms ingest them. Researchers found that microplastics reduce feeding efficiency, inhibit growth, and harm reproduction in freshwater species, while also acting as carriers for toxic chemicals that build up through the food chain. The study highlights the need for better waste management and further research to understand the full scope of risks to both aquatic life and human health.

2025 Environment and Ecology 4 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
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
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Aquatic Ecosystems

This review covered the occurrence, sources, transport, and ecological effects of microplastics across both freshwater and marine aquatic ecosystems, providing an integrated overview of the state of knowledge in aquatic microplastic research.

2016 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 895 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: what we know and what we need to know

This review examines the state of knowledge on microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems, which have received far less scientific attention than marine environments despite being major pathways for plastic transport. Researchers found that freshwater microplastic concentrations can be extremely high near urban areas and that organisms from insects to fish readily ingest these particles. The study identifies key research gaps including the need for standardized detection methods and better understanding of how microplastics move through and affect freshwater food webs.

2014 Environmental Sciences Europe 1468 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic and Microplastic in the Environment

This review summarizes the sources, pathways, analytical methods, and distribution of microplastics in freshwater environments, emphasizing that rivers and lakes are major conduits transferring plastic pollution from terrestrial sources to the oceans.

2022 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: Pathways, Impacts and Integrated Solutions for Environment and Human Health

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic contamination in freshwater and marine ecosystems, covering their sources, environmental behavior, and biological effects. Evidence indicates that microplastics enter waterways through wastewater, runoff, atmospheric deposition, and the breakdown of larger debris, and they accumulate across food webs through ingestion and trophic transfer. The study calls for integrated solutions combining reduced plastic use, advanced filtration, bioremediation, and stronger policy enforcement.

2025 PLANETARY SUSTAINABILITY 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in freshwater ecosystem: bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and biomagnification

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in freshwater ecosystems, finding that while ingestion by freshwater organisms is well-documented, biomagnification through food chains remains poorly understood and requires further investigation.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 91 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
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and pathways of microplastics, quantification protocol and adverseeffects of microplastics towards freshwater and seawater biota

This review examines the occurrence, pathways, and adverse effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine organisms, highlighting how these particles can enter the food chain through seafood consumption. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion causes health hazards in aquatic animals and points to gaps in understanding how microplastics affect human health along the food supply chain.

2023 Food Research 11 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 freshwater systems: A review of classification, sources, and environmental impacts

This review summarizes existing research on microplastic pollution in freshwater systems including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, noting that these particles absorb pollutants and leach chemical additives into the water. Humans face potential health risks from drinking contaminated water and eating freshwater fish and shellfish that have accumulated microplastics.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances 69 citations