Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai po New Territories, Hong Kong.
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco- Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
Chemosphere. 2024 Sep;364:143221. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143221. Epub 2024 Sep 2.
Environmental pollution due to plastic waste is a global challenge causing adverse impacts on the ecosystem and public health. Microplastic (MP) originates at the upstream processes such as industrial and household activities; however, their existence is affecting the downstream environment. Even though many governments and non-government organizations have taken technological and regulatory steps, these current efforts and strategies are insufficient to prevent the MP release in the environment. Thus, a multidisciplinary global approach is required, which must prioritize the reducing of plastic inputs to the environment. To regulate MP levels in the environment, worldwide reformative and preventive strategies are required because the issue is not limited to a single nation or region. In relation to marine plastic waste, a number of multilateral agreements and measures exist at global level. Several regulatory measures have been examined by regulatory bodies with the intention of safeguarding the environment from excessive MP contamination. However, neither of the frameworks in place is specifically made to stop the increased MP pollution in the environment. Therefore, this review focused on the preventive measures taken by the government and non-government organizations for MP control through legislations. The study also critically discussed MP-related policies aiming to increase the viability and efficiency of implementing future plastic management. This review is expected to provide the basic guidelines for formulating MP standards in the environment.
由于塑料废物造成的环境污染是一个全球性挑战，对生态系统和公众健康造成了不利影响。微塑料（MP）源自上游工业和家庭活动等过程；然而，它们的存在正在影响下游环境。尽管许多政府和非政府组织已经采取了技术和监管措施，但这些当前的努力和策略不足以防止 MP 释放到环境中。因此，需要采取多学科的全球方法，必须优先减少塑料对环境的输入。为了控制环境中的 MP 水平，需要在全球范围内采取改革性和预防性策略，因为这个问题不仅限于一个国家或地区。在海洋塑料废物方面，全球层面存在多项多边协议和措施。监管机构已经研究了一些监管措施，目的是保护环境免受过量 MP 污染。然而，现有的框架都没有专门用于阻止环境中 MP 污染的增加。因此，本综述重点关注政府和非政府组织通过立法采取的预防措施，以控制 MP。该研究还批判性地讨论了与 MP 相关的政策，旨在提高实施未来塑料管理的可行性和效率。预计本综述将为制定环境中 MP 标准提供基本指导。
