Microplastics in Aquatic Environments: Sources, Ecotoxicity, Detection & Remediation

Abstract

Microplastic pollutants are increasingly posing a significant threat of aquatic contamination and causing various adverse effects on the aquatic environment as well as human health. Microplastics are hazardous chemicals to marine and freshwater ecosystems; therefore, it is becoming a severe concern for ecology. Microplastics can also expose via drinking water and can be vulnerable to all living organisms. Microplastics work as carriers for various toxic components such as additives and other hazardous substances from industrial and urbanized areas. These microplastic contaminated effluents are ultimately transferred into water systems and directly ingested by organisms associated with a particular ecosystem. The microplastics components also pose an indirect threat to aquatic ecosystems by adsorbing surrounding other water pollutants. Due to the luxuriant discharge of billion tons of plastic waste from domestic to industrial level every year, degraded microplastics get accumulated in various aquatic systems, contaminate, and introduce into the food chain. This review mainly focuses on occurrence, factors influencing the release of microplastics into aquatic ecosystems, possible impact of these toxic micro-sized particles on human health and aquatic life. This study also briefly discusses removing microplastics from effluent and water systems using different advanced final-stage treatment technologies.