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Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: a recent review of occurrence, analysis, potential impacts, and research needs

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Abstract

The utilization of plastics has now become a threat to the environment as it generates microplastic particles (<5 mm in size). The increasing studies on the occurrence of microplastics in different environmental compartments have raised concern about the potential effects on ecosystems and living organisms. Of these, numerous studies are focused on marine environments. The occurrence of microplastics is recently extended to the freshwater environments, including river systems, streams, lakes, pond, creek, and estuarine rivers. This paper overviews the current knowledge and research findings on the occurrence of microplastics in water, sediment, and fish in freshwater environments. The review also covers the adopted methodology and impacts of microplastics to the ecosystem. Future perspectives are discussed as well in this review.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Universiti Teknologi Malaysia for providing PhD scholarship and research centre grant Vot No. R.J130000.7801.5F279.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

    Shazani Sarijan, Shamila Azman, Mohd Ismid Mohd Said & Mohamad Hidayat Jamal

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  1. Shazani Sarijan
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  2. Shamila Azman
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  3. Mohd Ismid Mohd Said
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  4. Mohamad Hidayat Jamal
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SS and SA designed the study. SS wrote the article. SA, MIMS, and MHJ commented on draft versions of the article.

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Correspondence to Shamila Azman.

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Sarijan, S., Azman, S., Said, M.I.M. et al. Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems: a recent review of occurrence, analysis, potential impacts, and research needs. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 1341–1356 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11171-7

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