Enzyme and Microbial Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, India.
J Environ Sci Health C Toxicol Carcinog. 2020;38(1):1-20. doi: 10.1080/10590501.2019.1699379.
Microplastics (MPs) and associated contaminants have become a major environmental concern. From available literature, their ubiquitous presence is now well established. However, the kind and level of toxicological impacts these MPs accomplish on various life forms are not well understood. Nevertheless, the environmental toxicity of MP is now being revealed gradually with supporting studies involving groups of lower organisms. Additionally, the presence of microplastics also disturbs the functions of ecosystem through affecting the vulnerable life forms, thus ecological manifestations of MPs also need to be analyzed. The present review encompasses an overview of toxicological effects mediated by various types of MPs present in the environment; it covers the types of toxicity they may cause and other effects on humans and other species. In this review, aquatic systems are used as primary models to describe various eco-toxicological effects of MPs. Various research gaps as well as methods to alleviate the level of MPs, and future strategies are also comprehensively highlighted in the review.
微塑料（MPs）和相关污染物已成为一个主要的环境关注点。从现有文献来看，它们的普遍存在已经得到证实。然而，这些 MPs 对各种生命形式造成的毒性影响的种类和程度还没有得到很好的理解。尽管如此，随着涉及低等生物群体的支持性研究的开展，MP 的环境毒性正逐渐显现。此外，微塑料的存在也通过影响脆弱的生命形式扰乱了生态系统的功能，因此也需要分析 MPs 的生态表现。本综述概述了存在于环境中的各种类型的 MPs 介导的毒理学效应；它涵盖了它们可能引起的毒性类型以及对人类和其他物种的其他影响。在本综述中，水生系统被用作描述 MPs 的各种生态毒理学效应的主要模型。综述还全面强调了各种研究空白以及减轻 MPs 水平的方法和未来的策略。
