Interactions and effects of microplastics with heavy metals in aquatic and terrestrial environments

Abstract

Contamination of waters and soils with microplastics (MPs) is an emerging environmental issue worldwide. MPs constitute a cocktail of various additives and polymers besides adsorbing toxic heavy metals from the environment. This co-occurrence of MPs with heavy metals poses a threat to the health of organisms and is poorly understood. Ingestion of MPs contaminated with heavy metals may also result in subsequent transfer of heavy metals up in the food chain. MPs surfaces play a crucial role in the adsorption of heavy metals. Aged/biofouled MPs facilitate greater adsorption of metals and certain microplastic (MP) polymers adsorb some metals more specifically. External factors involved in the process of adsorption/accumulation of heavy metals are the solution pH, salinity, and the concentration of relevant heavy metals in the media. Desorption greatly depends upon pH of the external solution. This is more concerning as the guts/digestive systems of organisms have low pH which could enhance the desorption of toxic metals and making them accumulate in their bodies. The aim of this article is to discuss the abundance, distribution, adsorption, and desorption behavior of MPs for heavy metals, and their combined toxic effects on flora and fauna based on the limited research on this topic in the literature. There is an overarching need to understand the interactions of MPs with heavy metals in different ecosystems so that the extent of ecotoxic effects they pose could be assessed which would help in the environmental regulation of these pollutants.