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A review of microplastics in the aquatic environmental: distribution, transport, ecotoxicology, and toxicological mechanisms

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Abstract

The interactions between microplastics (MPs) and aquatic organisms are becoming increasingly frequent due to the extensive distribution of MPs in aquatic environments. MPs from the aquatic environment tend to accumulate and move through living organisms. Therefore, MPs can affect human health though the food chain and human consumption. In this brief review, the environmental distribution, sources, and transport of MPs are reviewed, and the potential consequences of the presence of MPs in the aquatic environment to human food are discussed. This review also summarized the toxicity effects and toxicity mechanisms of MPs based on various environmentally relevant test species and discussed the combined toxicity effects of MPs and various pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. The knowledge of the adverse effects on combined toxicity and the mechanism of MPs toxicity are very limited. Thus, a systematic assessment of the aquatic environmental risk in various species from MPs is challenging. In the end, we identify the knowledge gaps that need to be filled and provide suggestions for future research.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the help from Dor. Zhen Zhang.

Funding

This work was financially supported by a scientific research project of the Zhejiang Education Department (Y201942068).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering, College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, 1158, Baiyang Rd., Hangzhou, 310018, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Du, Shaodan Xu, Qingwei Zhou, Huanxuan Li, Li Fu, Junhong Tang, Yangyang Wang, Xu Peng, Yuting Xu & Xinpeng Du

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  1. Jia Du
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  2. Shaodan Xu
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  3. Qingwei Zhou
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  4. Huanxuan Li
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  9. Yuting Xu
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Highlights

1. Presented the possible ecotoxicity related to MPs exposure.

2. Summarized the abundance, sources, and transport of MPs in aquatic environments.

3. Summarized the compound toxicity of MPs in aquatic environments.

4. Identified the current research deficiencies in this area.

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Du, J., Xu, S., Zhou, Q. et al. A review of microplastics in the aquatic environmental: distribution, transport, ecotoxicology, and toxicological mechanisms. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 11494–11505 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08104-9

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