Microplastics in the freshwater and terrestrial environments: Prevalence, fates, impacts and sustainable solutions

Wong, Johnny Kee Hong; Lee, Kek Kin; Tang, Kuok Ho Daniel; Yap, Pow‐Seng

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137512

Cited by 432 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Current population in the urban area of Novosibirsk is 1,667,734 [57]. Population density and urbanization affect the abundance of MPs [53,58]. Previous studies demonstrate that MPs are accumulated in proximity to cities with relatively high population and plastic use, usually associated with high wastewater inputs [25,[59][60][61][62].…”

Section: Sampling Sites the River Tom The River Ob 1-t 2-t 3-t 4-t 1-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia

Frank

Vorobiev

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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To date, the largest Russian rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean remain a “blank spot” on the world map of data on the distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems. This study characterizes the abundance and morphology of microplastics in surface water of the Ob River and its large tributary, the Tom River, in western Siberia. The average number of particles for the two rivers ranged from 44.2 to 51.2 items per m3 or from 79.4 to 87.5 μg per m3 in the Tom River and in the Ob River, respectively. Of the recovered microplastics, 93.5% were less than 1 mm in their largest dimension, the largest group (45.5% of total counts) consisted of particles with sizes range 0.30–1.00 mm. Generally, microfragments of irregular shape were the most abundant among the Ob and Tom samples (47.4%) and exceeded microfibers (22.1%), microfilms (20.8%), and microspheres (9.74%) by average counts. Results from this study provide a baseline for understanding the scale of the transport of microplastics by the Ob River system into the Arctic Ocean and add to currently available data on microplastics abundance and diversity in freshwater systems of differing global geographic locations.

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Section: Sampling Sites the River Tom The River Ob 1-t 2-t 3-t 4-t 1-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia

Frank

Vorobiev

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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“…Microplastics present a persistent environmental problem due to their presence in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the difficulty in detecting them [1]. Microplastics have been detected in atmospheric fallout indicating their dispersion into and transportation via the air [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increasing uses of plastics as packaging, raw materials and in various consumers' products result in increasing microplastics in the environment. Microplastics can be primary, coming directly from the use of materials or products with microplastics as constituents, or secondary, formed during the breakdown and degradation of larger plastics [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, wastewater and sewage treatment plants are significant contributors of environmental microplastics through discharge of effluents and sludge containing microplastics. They concentrate microplastics already present in natural waterbodies through treatment processes and eventually return the microplastics into the environment [1]. Application of sludge for agriculture leads to localized microplastics contamination which subsequently spreads through transportation by runoffs, air and soil biota [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Microplastics on Agriculture: A Mini-review

Tang

2020

AJEE

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Microplastics have permeated most, if not all, ecosystems including the terrestrial ones. The presence of microplastics in soil poses concerns on plants and agriculture. Microplastics alter soil biophysical properties including bulk density, water holding capacity and soil microbial interactions with water stable aggregates. The effects of microplastics on soil and plants frequently depend on the types and sizes of microplastics. This mini review presents a concise illustration of the impacts of microplastics on plants and crops. From the review, microplastics alter soil biophysical and chemical characteristics either positively or negatively depending on their types, concentrations, sizes and shapes. It reveals the ability of microplastics to affect enzymatic activities of plants which could lead to genotoxicity and oxidative damage. It unveils endocytosis of microplastics by specific plant cells as well as the uptake of microplastics via root and their accumulation and transport in plants facilitated by transpiration. This review also shows microplastics reduce root growth and seed germination at least transiently while do not seem to alter chlorophyll content. Microplastics were found to not interfere with phytoremediation of metals by the common reeds. This review highlights the need of more studies to confirm the effects of microplastics on crops and plants as the existing studies in this area are limited.

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“…Nonetheless, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, in ammation as well as dysregulation of lipid and energy metabolism have been the proposed mechanisms, among others, reported in the literature [4,5,6]. The principles of plastic particulates toxicity have been extensively reviewed [7,8,9,10,11], even though evidences of harmful effects have mostly restricted to observation on marine and aquatic species and albeit microplastics. Public health and environmental concerns, however, increasingly drive efforts to unravel the potential effects following exposure to nanoplastics (NPs -fragments ≤ 100 nm) in humans which could be a future prime concern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological stress response of the Wistar albino rats orally exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles

Babaei

Rafiee

Khodagholi

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Few studies have examined nano-sized plastic particulates (NPs) exposure in relation to oxidative stress and biochemical responses in rodents, commonly used for toxicity evaluations on which to base risk assessment for humans.Methods Here we explored possible oxidative stress and biochemical responses of five weeks oral exposure to polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles (1, 3, 6 and 10 mg/kg body weight per day) in male rats. We used variance analysis and variance explained statistic eta-squared (𝜂2) to estimate the strength of relationships worked out. The whole body scanning further provided insight into the bio-distribution of nanoplastics upon oral exposure.Results Results demonstrated the accumulation of PS-NPs through whole body and also a dose-dependent increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Significant alterations in antioxidant responses including serum levels of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total glutathione content were noticed, pointing towards a perturbation of redox state induced by the exposure conditions. Acetylcholinesterase level in highest dose group was about 40 percent lower than those in control group. Biochemical parameters viz. glucose, cortisol, lipase, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), triglycerides, and urea showed a significant increase, while total protein, albumin and globulin levels showed an appreciable decline.Conclusion The pattern of associations noticed with AChE activity and biochemical responses in our study suggests the possibility that a neurobehavioral effect or dysfunctions in energy metabolism, or both, may be the potential mode of action, possibly through stress response as well as liver function. Perturbations of creatinine and uric acid levels are indeed plausible biological explanations for the association with kidney dysfunction. Although we provided a new scientific clue for exploring the biological effects of plastics nanoparticles, the results warrant additional research with a larger sample size. The suggested potential mechanisms also remains to be investigated.

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Microplastics in the freshwater and terrestrial environments: Prevalence, fates, impacts and sustainable solutions

Cited by 432 publications

References 111 publications

Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia

Preliminary Screening for Microplastic Concentrations in the Surface Water of the Ob and Tom Rivers in Siberia, Russia

Effects of Microplastics on Agriculture: A Mini-review

Physiological stress response of the Wistar albino rats orally exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles

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