Environmental Safety Group, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe, Saarbrucken, Germany.
Division of Energy & Environment Technology, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon, South Korea.
Environ Toxicol. 2022 Nov;37(11):2615-2638. doi: 10.1002/tox.23623. Epub 2022 Jul 30.
The environmental impacts of plastic pollution have recently attracted universal attention, especially in the aquatic environment. However, research has mostly been focused on marine ecosystems, even though freshwater ecosystems are equally if not more polluted by plastics. In addition, the mechanism and extent to which plastic pollution affects aquatic biota and the rates of transfer to organisms through food webs eventually reaching humans are poorly understood, especially considering leaching hazardous chemicals. Several studies have demonstrated extreme toxicity in freshwater organisms such Daphnia. When such keystone species are affected by ambient pollution, entire food webs are destabilized and biodiversity is threatened. The unremitting increase in plastic contaminants in freshwater environments would cause impairments in ecosystem functions and structure, leading to various kinds of negative ecological consequences. As various studies have reported the effects on daphnids, a consolidation of this literature is critical to discuss the limitations and knowledge gaps and to evaluate the risk posed to the aquatic environment. This review was undertaken due to the evident need to evaluate this threat. The aims were to provide a meaningful overview of the literature relevant to the potential impact of plastic pollution and associated contaminants on freshwater daphnids as primary consumers. A critical evaluation of research gaps and perspectives is conducted to provide a comprehensive risk assessment of microplastic as a hazard to aquatic environments. We outlined the challenges and limitations to microplastic research in hampering better-focused investigations that could support the development of new plastic materials and/or establishment of new regulations.
塑料污染对环境的影响最近引起了普遍关注，特别是在水生环境中。然而，尽管淡水生态系统受到的污染程度与海洋生态系统相当，甚至更甚，但研究主要集中在海洋生态系统上。此外，塑料污染对水生生物群的影响机制和程度，以及通过食物网转移到最终到达人类的速度，人们知之甚少，尤其是考虑到化学物质的浸出问题。一些研究表明，在淡水生物中，如大型溞，塑料具有极强的毒性。当这些关键物种受到环境污染物的影响时，整个食物网就会失去稳定，生物多样性也会受到威胁。不断增加的塑料污染物在淡水环境中，会导致生态系统功能和结构受损，从而产生各种负面的生态后果。由于多项研究报告了塑料污染对溞类的影响，因此对这些文献进行综合分析对于讨论其局限性和知识空白，并评估其对水生环境构成的风险至关重要。之所以进行这项综述，是因为需要评估这一威胁。目的是提供一个有意义的文献综述，重点介绍塑料污染及其相关污染物对淡水溞类作为初级消费者的潜在影响。对研究差距和观点进行了批判性评估，对微塑料作为水生环境危害的风险进行了全面评估。我们概述了微塑料研究中存在的挑战和局限性，这些挑战和局限性阻碍了更有针对性的调查，而这些调查可以支持新型塑料材料的开发和/或新法规的建立。
