Plastic’s versatility is one reason why production or use has not decreased over the years. The production of plastic globally was 359 million metric tons as of 2018, and this number increased by 3.5% in 2019. Microplastics, which are tiny particles of various types and forms of plastic, can be found in cosmetics, fabrics, car parts, machinery, footwear,products packaging, polythene bags and so on. Over time, these particles, through the process of wear and tear of these various plastic products, indiscriminate disposal, runoffs, and erosion, find their way into water bodies from rivers and streams into larger water bodies like seas and oceans. These tiny non-biodegradable particles find their way into living organisms carrying along with them other harmful chemical contaminants. This study reviews the effects that microplastics found in marine environments have on public health in general. It covers the types and sources of microplastics and the various ways in which microplastics have affected human health and different aquatic species in the marine environment. The review showed all pointers of microplastics present in the environment to have negative impacts on the ecosystem. Certain research gaps are pointed out, like the integration of researchinto policies to help improve the environment and the standardization of dedicated procedures and methods of reporting microplastic pollution. Suggestions were made for possible solutions like the reduction of plastic use for product packaging, provision of biodegradable and eco-friendly materials as substitutes, and general public awareness on the harm of microplastic pollution in the immediate environement.
Water quality evaluations of domestic wells are required to monitor its consumption suitability since its dependence is on an increasing rate in the study region. Therefore, the rationale for the study is to obtain the hydrogeochemical characteristics of water from domestic wells and their level of potability. In the current study, the hydrogeochemical footprints of twenty water samples obtained from deep wells located in residential buildings were analyzed for TDS, Turbidity, TSS, TH, Acidity, Alka, HCO3 −, CO3 2-, DO, NO2 −, NO3 −, SiO2, PO4 3-, SO4 2-, Br−, Cl−, F−, Ca2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, EC and ranked using the entropy-based water quality index (EBWQI) to determine its drinking suitability.Water classification was achieved using hydrogeochemical facies and the ion exchange was obtained using biplots of important water quality parameters. The mean concentration of the water quality parameters mentioned above were 717.69, 46.11, 157.20, 224.81, 72.91, 64.06, 78.07, 0.01, 3.89, 0.89, 51.56, 16.50, 0.73, 32.87, 0.01, 174.41, 1.89, 58.91, 0.03, 19.41, 3.05, 72.82 mg/L and 1009.63 μS/cm, respectively. Benchmarking the results with the WHO 2017 standard, 10%, 85%, 10%, 45%, 20%, and 45% of the water samples surpassed the threshold for TDS, EC, DO, NO3 −, Cl−, and F−, respectively. The groundwater classification derived from the piper plot revealed 40% mixed type, 15% Na-Ca-Cl water type, 15% Na-Ca-Mg-Cl water type, 20% Ca-Na-Cl water type, and 10% Ca-Na-Mg-Cl water type, with Na and Cl dominating the hydrogeochemical facies. The geochemical activity governing the groundwater chemistry obtained from the plot of [Ca2+ + Mg2+] vs [HCO3 − + SO4 2−] showed silicate weathering and carbonate weathering in 5% and 95% of the water samples, respectively. Furthermore, the ion exchange activity based on [Na+ + K+ – Cl−] vs [(Ca2+ + Mg2+) – (HCO3 − + SO4 2–)], CAI-1 and CAI-2 plots supports reverse ion exchange. Generally, the chemical activities support rock-water and evaporation dominance within the sample location. The EBWQI ranking showed that 10% of the water samples are excellent, 20% are good, 40% are moderate, 10% are poor, and 20% of the water samples are abysmal for consumption. Therefore, the water situation in the study region requires adequate treatment strategies to foster healthy living for residents.
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