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

Karbalaei, Samaneh; Hanachi, Parichehr; Walker, Tony R.; Cole, Matthew

doi:10.1007/s11356-018-3508-7

Cited by 411 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 208 publications

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“…Sustainable packaging helps protect the environment by reducing waste, but it also eases the societal burden of health care costs by reducing environmental health risks. Plastic waste and micro plastic pollution, for example, have become serious health issues (Comăniță, Hlihor, Ghinea, & Gavrilescu, ; Karbalaei, Hanachi, Walker, & Cole, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How green is your packaging—A comparative international study of cues consumers use to recognize environmentally friendly packaging

Herbes

Beuthner

Ramme

2020

Int J Consumer Studies

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Consumers have grown increasingly aware of the impact of packaging on the environment. Therefore, interest has grown in more environmentally friendly packaging, but we wondered how consumers recognize ‘green’ as distinct from ‘grey’ when evaluating packaging. We asked over 3,000 respondents from Germany, France and the United States how they recognize environmentally friendly packaging. To solicit responses that we may not have anticipated, we used an open‐ended format, which we then followed with a closed‐ended format so that we could compare the two sets of responses. Not surprisingly, in both sets of responses, we found labelling to be the attribute consumers rely upon most, as well as evidence of misleading labels. We also found consumers in Germany and the United States relied on information on the packaging and named searching for information as one of their preferred ways to decide whether packaging is environmentally friendly. French consumers seemed less trusting of published information and more trusting of the look and feel, especially the material, of the package. Our results point to the importance of cultural influences in the acquisition of perceptual cues by the consumer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How green is your packaging—A comparative international study of cues consumers use to recognize environmentally friendly packaging

Herbes

Beuthner

Ramme

2020

Int J Consumer Studies

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“…In recent years, the accumulation of plastic debris in the environment has been considered to be one of the major factors causing a loss in biodiversity and affecting human health (Sutherland et al 2010;Jiang 2018;Karbalaei et al 2018). Microplastic (MPs <5 mm in diameter) can enter the environment directly as primary MPs, which were previously used for various purposes, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in freshwater fish from Central European lowland river (Widawa R., SW Poland)

Kuśmierek

Popiołek

2020

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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In contrast to marine organisms, the presence of microplastics (MPs) in freshwater animals remains insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to identify the occurrence of MPs in the digestive tracts of two fish species from a small lowland river (Widawa R., SW Poland). In total, 202 gudgeons and 187 roaches were collected, of which 54.5% and 53.9% had ingested MPlike particles, respectively. Feeding type and behaviour, sex and capture site (above or below the dam reservoir) did not affect the number of fish with MP-like particles.

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“…Other reviews exclude key references on trash and disease risk (19,(58)(59)(60), while others focus on urbanization or poverty (18,19,57). Some reviews take a narrow scope and are pathogen-specific [for example, we identified reviews on trash and dengue virus (61)(62)(63), protozoans (64), and leishmania (65)] or vector-specific [arthropods (51)], limited to landfills and incineration (66), microplastic-specific (67), or waste-specific (68). However, the potential risk of direct transmission of infectious diseases by any kind of solid waste depends on a multitude of inter-related factors including, but not limited to, the presence of an infectious agent, its viability in solid waste, and a susceptible host.…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solid Wastes Provide Breeding Sites, Burrows, and Food for Biological Disease Vectors, and Urban Zoonotic Reservoirs: A Call to Action for Solutions-Based Research

Krystosik

Njoroge

Odhiambo

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

108

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Background: Infectious disease epidemiology and planetary health literature often cite solid waste and plastic pollution as risk factors for vector-borne diseases and urban zoonoses; however, no rigorous reviews of the risks to human health have been published since 1994. This paper aims to identify research gaps and outline potential solutions to interrupt the vicious cycle of solid wastes; disease vectors and reservoirs; infection and disease; and poverty. Methods: We searched peer-reviewed publications from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Stanford Searchworks, and references from relevant articles using the search terms ("disease" OR "epidemiology") AND ("plastic pollution," "garbage," and "trash," "rubbish," "refuse," OR "solid waste"). Abstracts and reports from meetings were included only when they related directly to previously published work. Only articles published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese through 2018 were included, with a focus on post-1994, after the last comprehensive review was published. Cancer, diabetes, and food chain-specific articles were outside the scope and excluded. After completing the literature review, we further limited the literature to "urban zoonotic and biological vector-borne diseases" or to "zoonotic and biological vector-borne diseases of the urban environment." Results: Urban biological vector-borne diseases, especially Aedes-borne diseases, are associated with solid waste accumulation but vector preferences vary over season and region. Urban zoonosis, especially rodent and canine disease reservoirs, are associated with solid waste in urban settings, especially when garbage accumulates over time, creating burrowing sites and food for reservoirs. Although evidence suggests the link between plastic pollution/solid waste and human disease, measurements are not standardized, confounders are not rigorously controlled, and the quality of evidence varies. Here we propose a framework for solutions-based research in three areas: innovation, education, and policy. Krystosik et al. Solid Wastes and Disease Vectors and Reservoirs Conclusions: Disease epidemics are increasing in scope and scale with urban populations growing, climate change providing newly suitable vector climates, and immunologically naïve populations becoming newly exposed. Sustainable solid waste management is crucial to prevention, specifically in urban environments that favor urban vectors such as Aedes species. We propose that next steps should include more robust epidemiological measurements and propose a framework for solutions-based research.

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

Cited by 411 publications

References 208 publications

How green is your packaging—A comparative international study of cues consumers use to recognize environmentally friendly packaging

How green is your packaging—A comparative international study of cues consumers use to recognize environmentally friendly packaging

Microplastics in freshwater fish from Central European lowland river (Widawa R., SW Poland)

Solid Wastes Provide Breeding Sites, Burrows, and Food for Biological Disease Vectors, and Urban Zoonotic Reservoirs: A Call to Action for Solutions-Based Research

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