Sources, Impacts and Remediation strategies for microplastics in the Aquatic Environment - A Review

Abstract

Microplastics are small particles having a size of less than 5 mm. These have emerged as one of the most prevalent contaminants, mainly found in aquatic ecosystems. They originate from the sources that are primarily of two types-primary and secondary. Primary ones constitute plastics in the form of microbeads that are widely used in cosmetics and personal care products whereas secondary sources comprise those particles that are produced by the degradation of larger particles via mechanical forces or by biological processes. The microplastics are highly persistent in nature, therefore, they tend to accumulate in aquatic ecosystems, thereby causing harmful effects not only on the aquatic organisms but also on human health. Plankton, molluscs, crustaceans and fish eating microplastics are bad for biodiversity, mess with the food web and cause hazardous pollutants to build up and become more concentrated in living things. This review provides insights into various sources as well as the pathways by which these enter into the aquatic environment and the hazardous ecological, physiological, as well as human health concerns that arise due to consumption of seafood. In addition to this, the review highlights various remediation strategies that are based on physical, chemical and biological characteristics of microplastics, which must be employed in order to address the issue of microplastic contamination. Furthermore, various challenges and future prospects are also discussed in the review which emphasises the need for integration of monitoring frameworks with sustainable policies in order to mitigate the microplastic contamination, thereby safeguarding the aquatic ecosystems.