A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments

Water popularly termed the ‘The Elixir of Life’ is now polluted beyond control in several regions. Microplastics, the tiny contaminants have found their way into all walks of life. They have also been found to be present in human blood, multiple organs, and even breast milk. There is an abundance of...

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Main Authors: Irene Monica Jaikumar, Majesh Tomson, Arun Meyyazhagan, Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan, Rathinasamy Baskaran, Manikantan Pappuswamy, Hesam Kamyab, Elham Khalili, Mohammad Farajnezhad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Green Analytical Chemistry
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772577424001113
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author Irene Monica Jaikumar
Majesh Tomson
Arun Meyyazhagan
Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan
Rathinasamy Baskaran
Manikantan Pappuswamy
Hesam Kamyab
Elham Khalili
Mohammad Farajnezhad
author_facet Irene Monica Jaikumar
Majesh Tomson
Arun Meyyazhagan
Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan
Rathinasamy Baskaran
Manikantan Pappuswamy
Hesam Kamyab
Elham Khalili
Mohammad Farajnezhad
author_sort Irene Monica Jaikumar
collection DOAJ
description Water popularly termed the ‘The Elixir of Life’ is now polluted beyond control in several regions. Microplastics, the tiny contaminants have found their way into all walks of life. They have also been found to be present in human blood, multiple organs, and even breast milk. There is an abundance of microplastics in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Curbing them has to start with a ban of all forms of primary microplastics, and single use plastics with preference being given to biodegradable alternatives. India in particular banned single use plastics in 2022, which put an end to several commonly used plastic items being replaced with biodegradables. Paint is one of the largest contributors to microplastics, followed by textile industry, cosmetic, pharmaceutical industry, packaging industry are all top contributors to microplastics. The wastewater treatment plants aren't designed to filter microplastics from the source and this results in microplastics polluting all water resources. Though several novel techniques for microplastic segregation exist such as sieving, filtration, density separation, visual sorting, alkali digestion exist, they aren't fully employed as the initial process of microplastic segregation from waste is still in question.
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spelling doaj-art-34de2e053a4f4917bb30dab4489340342025-08-20T02:26:22ZengElsevierGreen Analytical Chemistry2772-57742025-03-011210020210.1016/j.greeac.2024.100202A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environmentsIrene Monica Jaikumar0Majesh Tomson1Arun Meyyazhagan2Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan3Rathinasamy Baskaran4Manikantan Pappuswamy5Hesam Kamyab6Elham Khalili7Mohammad Farajnezhad8Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, IndiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, India; Corresponding authors.Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, IndiaDepartment of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea; Corresponding authors.Department of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, Asia University, Taichung 413305, TaiwanDepartment of Life Sciences, Christ University, Bengaluru 560029, Karnataka, IndiaUTE University, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Architecture Department, TCEMC Investigation Group, Calle Rumipamba S/N and Bourgeois, Quito, Ecuador; Department of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai 600077, India; Corresponding authors.Department of Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United KingdomFaculty of Business and Communication, Inti International University, 71800 Nilai, N. Sembilan, MalaysiaWater popularly termed the ‘The Elixir of Life’ is now polluted beyond control in several regions. Microplastics, the tiny contaminants have found their way into all walks of life. They have also been found to be present in human blood, multiple organs, and even breast milk. There is an abundance of microplastics in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Curbing them has to start with a ban of all forms of primary microplastics, and single use plastics with preference being given to biodegradable alternatives. India in particular banned single use plastics in 2022, which put an end to several commonly used plastic items being replaced with biodegradables. Paint is one of the largest contributors to microplastics, followed by textile industry, cosmetic, pharmaceutical industry, packaging industry are all top contributors to microplastics. The wastewater treatment plants aren't designed to filter microplastics from the source and this results in microplastics polluting all water resources. Though several novel techniques for microplastic segregation exist such as sieving, filtration, density separation, visual sorting, alkali digestion exist, they aren't fully employed as the initial process of microplastic segregation from waste is still in question.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772577424001113MicroplasticsAquatic faunaMarine systemsEnvironmentPollution
spellingShingle Irene Monica Jaikumar
Majesh Tomson
Arun Meyyazhagan
Balasubramanian Balamuralikrishnan
Rathinasamy Baskaran
Manikantan Pappuswamy
Hesam Kamyab
Elham Khalili
Mohammad Farajnezhad
A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
Green Analytical Chemistry
Microplastics
Aquatic fauna
Marine systems
Environment
Pollution
title A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
title_full A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
title_fullStr A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
title_full_unstemmed A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
title_short A comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
title_sort comprehensive review of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments
topic Microplastics
Aquatic fauna
Marine systems
Environment
Pollution
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772577424001113
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