Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Tamil Nadu 600 036, Chennai, India.
Department of Biotechnology, Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Tamil Nadu 600 036, Chennai, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Jun;30(26):67919-67940. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-26918-1. Epub 2023 May 3.
Municipal wastewater has been considered as one of the largest contributors and carriers of microplastics to the aquatic environment. However, the various residential activities that generate municipal wastewater are equally significant whenever the source of microplastics in aquatic system is accounted. However, so far, only municipal wastewater has received wide attention in previous review articles. Hence, this review article is written to address this gap by highlighting, firstly, the chances of microplastics arising from the usage of personal care products (PCPs), laundry washing, face masks, and other potential sources. Thereafter, the various factors influencing the generation and intensity of indoor microplastic pollution and the evidence available on the possibility of microplastic inhalation by humans and pet animals are explained. Followed by that, the removal efficiency of microplastics observed in wastewater treatment plants, the fate of microplastics present in the effluent and biosolids, and their impact on aquatic and soil environment are explored. Furthermore, the impact of aging on the characteristics of microsized plastics has been explored. Finally, the influence of age and size of microplastics on the toxicity effects and the factors impacting the retention and accumulation of microplastics in aquatic species are reviewed. Furthermore, the prominent pathway of microplastics into the human body and the studies available on the toxicity effects observed in human cells upon exposure to microplastics of different characteristics are explored.
城市污水被认为是向水生环境中输送和输送微塑料的最大来源之一。然而，每当涉及到水生系统中微塑料的来源时，各种产生城市污水的居民活动同样重要。然而，到目前为止，只有城市污水在以前的综述文章中受到了广泛关注。因此，本文旨在通过强调个人护理产品 (PCP) 的使用、洗衣、口罩和其他潜在来源产生微塑料的可能性，来填补这一空白。此后，解释了影响室内微塑料污染产生和强度的各种因素，以及人类和宠物动物吸入微塑料的可能性的现有证据。随后，探讨了污水处理厂观察到的微塑料去除效率、废水中存在的微塑料的命运和生物固体，以及它们对水生和土壤环境的影响。此外，还探讨了老化对微塑料特征的影响。最后，综述了微塑料的年龄和尺寸对毒性效应的影响，以及影响微塑料在水生物种中保留和积累的因素。此外，还探讨了微塑料进入人体的主要途径，以及在人类细胞中观察到的暴露于不同特性的微塑料的毒性效应的研究。
