Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Environment

This chapter examines microplastic pollution sources by integrating methods to distinguish natural from anthropogenic origins, providing a comprehensive exploration of microplastic distribution pathways and the analytical approaches used for source identification.

2025
Article Tier 2

Sources of Microplastic Generation in the Environment

This review maps the major sources through which microplastics enter the environment, covering primary sources (plastic pellets, microbeads) and secondary fragmentation of larger plastic debris. Understanding where microplastics originate is foundational for designing effective pollution-prevention policies and reducing human and ecosystem exposure.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, Fate and Fluxes of Plastics and Microplastics in Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems

This review examines the occurrence, transport pathways, and fate of plastics and microplastics in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems globally, synthesizing evidence that these systems are both sources and sinks and that microplastics cycle between compartments in complex ways.

2020 Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Driver, Trends and Fate of Plastics and Micro Plastics Occurrence in the Environment

This review examines the sources, trends, and environmental fate of plastics and microplastics, which have become a major global pollution problem due to massive production and poor waste management. Understanding how plastics move through the environment is essential for designing effective pollution controls.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment: sources (with a specific focus on personal care products), fate and effects

This review catalogued sources of microplastics in aquatic and terrestrial environments — with special focus on agricultural plastics — and summarized pathways through which they enter food chains and affect ecosystems.

2016 Environmental Sciences Europe 1701 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Classification, Sources, Characterisation, Fate, and Control Measures

This review examines the classification, sources, characterisation, fate, and control measures for microplastics, synthesising recent literature on their detection in marine water, freshwater, wastewater, food, air, and drinking water, and identifying terrestrial runoff and wastewater effluent as key pollution pathways.

2024 UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Environmental Setting: A Review on Sources, Exposure Routes and Potential Toxicities on Human Health

This review examines microplastics in environmental settings, synthesizing current knowledge on sources, distribution across terrestrial and aquatic compartments, fate processes, and ecological consequences. The authors identify priority research areas needed to address remaining uncertainties in microplastic risk assessment.

2024 Bioresources and Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Source Identification of Microplastics via Natural and Anthropogenic Impacts

This review identifies and distinguishes natural and anthropogenic sources of microplastics in the environment, examining how different origin pathways—from industrial discharge to atmospheric deposition—produce MPs with characteristic size, shape, and polymer distributions that can be used for source attribution.

2025
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

Source and Route of Microplastics in Terrestrial, Atmospheric, and Aquatic Environments, and Effects of Microplastics on Organisms

This review summarizes the sources, transport routes, and ecological effects of microplastics across terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic environments, highlighting how trophic transfer through food chains can ultimately lead to human ingestion.

2022 Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers 6 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

The Contribution of Microplastics to Marine Pollution

This review examines the contribution of microplastics to marine pollution, covering the pathways by which plastic particles enter ocean systems, their distribution across ocean basins, effects on marine life, and the challenges of reducing the flow of plastic into the sea.

2025 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

The Way of Macroplastic through the Environment

This review analyzed entry paths, accumulation zones, and sinks of macroplastic in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments, filling a gap left by the disproportionate focus on microplastics in current research. Macroplastic is the primary precursor to microplastic formation through fragmentation, making its environmental pathways critical to understanding the full plastic pollution problem.

2020 Environments 182 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive investigation on microplastics from source to sink

This review paper traces microplastic pollution from where it originates to where it ends up, covering sources, detection methods, and effects on soil and water environments. It highlights major gaps in our understanding, especially around microplastics in soil compared to water, and the lack of standardized ways to measure them. The review emphasizes that microplastics are everywhere in our environment and calls for better research tools and coordinated global efforts.

2024 Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in ecosystems: their implications and mitigation pathways

This review examined the implications of microplastic pollution across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and outlined mitigation pathways to address this emerging environmental threat.

2022 Environmental Science Advances 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in marine ecosystems: Sources, effects, and mitigation strategies

This review examines the sources, environmental pathways, ecological impacts across trophic levels, and mitigation strategies for microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems, synthesizing current evidence on biological harm and evaluating policy frameworks, technological solutions, and individual behavioral changes aimed at reducing marine microplastic loads.

2022 International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, sources, human health impacts and mitigation of microplastic pollution

This review surveys the sources, occurrence, and potential human health impacts of microplastic pollution across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. Researchers found that microplastics originate from a wide range of sources including textiles, packaging, and wastewater treatment plants, and can carry toxic chemicals into ecosystems. The study highlights the need for improved waste management strategies and further research into the long-term health effects of chronic microplastic exposure.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 655 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources, Types, and Occurrences of Microplastics in Soil, Water, and Air

This review summarizes the sources, types, and distribution of microplastics found in water bodies, sediments, soil, and air worldwide. Researchers found that microplastic pollution is widespread across all environmental compartments, with significant variation by region and source. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive waste management strategies to reduce plastic consumption and improve recycling and disposal systems.

2024 Microplastics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Hazards of microplastics on marine ecosystems and response strategies

This review summarizes the sources, classification, migration pathways, and hazards of marine microplastics, examining their impacts on marine organisms and the broader marine environment. The authors propose a series of management measures tailored to microplastic hazard characteristics to support improved policy and stewardship of marine ecosystems.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Review of Sources, Hazards, and Removal Methods of Microplastics in the Environment

This systematic review provides a comprehensive look at where microplastics come from, what risks they pose, and how they can be removed from the environment. The review covers contamination in air, water, and soil, noting that microplastics can carry toxic chemicals and harm both ecosystems and human health.

2025 Water 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics research—from sink to source

This perspective highlights that microplastic pollution is not limited to the oceans but is also widespread in freshwater systems and on land. Researchers argue that the field needs to shift from simply documenting where microplastics are found to understanding their sources, transport pathways, and ecological impacts across all environments. The study calls for a more integrated approach to microplastic research that connects marine, freshwater, and terrestrial contamination.

2018 Science 1287 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in the Environment

This review examines the ubiquitous presence of microplastics as emerging environmental pollutants across all major environmental compartments, synthesizing data on their sources, fates, and concentrations over time and space to characterize the scale of global contamination.

2025
Article Tier 2

From source to sink: Review and prospects of microplastics in wetland ecosystems

This review synthesizes sources, distribution pathways, migration, and fate of microplastics in wetland ecosystems, which occupy the boundary zone between aquatic and terrestrial environments. It identifies wetlands as both important sinks and potential secondary sources of microplastics and calls for more research on microplastic dynamics in these transitional habitats.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 162 citations
Article Tier 2

The Spread and Origins of Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments

This chapter examines the sources, distribution, fate, and transport mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, tracing their origins from multiple plastic product categories and detailing the physical and chemical processes that govern their spread through waterways.

2025