Abstract
The ubiquitous contamination of the environment with plastic debris and the possible associated risks to ecosystems and, ultimately, human health has recently attracted a great deal of public and scientific attention. Among the plastic materials found in aquatic environments, microplastic particles have attracted particular attention since harmful effects on various organisms have been discussed, especially related to their ingestion. However, possible risks associated with microplastics cannot be generalized, as microplastics comprise a very heterogeneous group of particles that differ in their physicochemical properties. At present, there is a considerable lack of knowledge on the effects of microplastics at the molecular, cellular, tissue-specific, and organismic levels and the resulting consequences on environmental and human health. This chapter addresses the benefits of plastic products but also why plastic has turned into an environmental problem. It briefly explains how environmental contamination is assessed and shows on which biological levels potential harmful effects are expected.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrady AL, Neal MA (2009) Applications and societal benefits of plastics. Phil Trans R Soc B: Biol Sci 364(1526):1977–1984. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0304
Athey SN, Albotra SD, Gordon CA et al (2020) Trophic transfer of microplastics in an estuarine food chain and the effects of a sorbed legacy pollutant. Limnol Oceanogr Lett 5:154–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10130
Au SY, Lee CM, Weinstein JN et al (2017) Trophic transfer of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: identifying critical research needs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 13(3):505–509. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1907
Bakir A, Rowland SJ, Thompson RC (2014) Enhanced desorption of persistent organic pollutants from microplastics under simulated physiological conditions. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 185:16–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.007
Barboza LGA, Lopes C, Oliveira P et al (2020) Microplastics in wild fish from north East Atlantic Ocean and its potential for causing neurotoxic effects, lipid oxidative damage, and human health risks associated with ingestion exposure. Sci Total Environ. The author(s) 717:134625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134625
Barnes DKA, Galgani F, Thompson RC et al (2009) Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Phil Trans R Soc London Ser B: Biol Sci 364(1526):1985–1998. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0205
Browne MA, Dissanayake A, Galloway TS et al (2008) Ingested microscopic plastic translocates to the circulatory system of the mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.). Environ Sci Technol 42(13):5026–5031. https://doi.org/10.1021/es800249a
Browne MA, Crump P, Niven SJ et al (2011) Accumulation of microplastic on shorelines woldwide: sources and sinks. Environ Sci Technol 45(21):9175–9179. https://doi.org/10.1021/es201811s
Campanale C, Massarelli C, Savino I et al (2020) A detailed review study on potential effects of microplastics and additives of concern on human health. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041212
Carpenter EJ, Smith KL (1972) Plastics on the Sargasso Sea surface. Science 175(4027):1240–1241. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.175.4027.1240
CDC (2020) Centre for disease control and prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/index.html
Conkle JL, Báez Del Valle CD, Turner JW (2017) Are we underestimating microplastic contamination in aquatic environments? Environ Manag. Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0947-8
Corradini F, Meza P, Eguiluz R et al (2019) Evidence of microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils from sewage sludge disposal. Sci Total Environ 671:411–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.368
De Felice B, Sabatini V, Antenucci S et al (2019) Polystyrene microplastics ingestion induced behavioral effects to the cladoceran Daphnia magna. Chemosphere. Elsevier Ltd 231:423–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.115
Desjardins M, Griffiths G (2003) Phagocytosis: latex leads the way. Curr Opin Cell Biol 15(4):498–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0955-0674(03)00083-8
Doherty GJ, McMahon HT (2009) Mechanisms of endocytosis. Annu Rev Biochem 78(1):857–902. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.biochem.78.081307.110540
Dris R, Imhof H, Sanchez W et al (2015) Beyond the ocean: contamination of freshwater ecosystems with (micro-)plastic particles. Environ Chem:32. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN14172
Dris R, Gasperi J, Saad M et al (2016) Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: a source of microplastics in the environment? Mar Pollut Bull 104:290–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.01.006
Dubaish F, Liebezeit G (2013) Suspended microplastics and black carbon particles in the Jade system, southern North Sea. Water Air Soil Pollut 224(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1352-9
Duis K, Coors A (2016) Microplastics in the aquatic and terrestrial environment: sources (with a specific focus on personal care products), fate and effects. Environ Sci Eur. Springer Berlin Heidelberg 28(1):2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-015-0069-y
Dümichen E, Eisentraut P, Bannick CG et al (2017) Fast identification of microplastics in complex environmental samples by a thermal degradation method. Chemosphere 174:572–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.010
Eltemsah YS, Bøhn T (2019) Acute and chronic effects of polystyrene microplastics on juvenile and adult Daphnia magna. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.087
Eriksen M, Lebreton LCM, Carson HS et al (2014) Plastic pollution in the World’s oceans: more than 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons afloat at sea. PLoS One 9(12):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111913
Farrell P, Nelson K (2013) Trophic level transfer of microplastic: Mytilus edulis (L.) to Carcinus maenas (L.). Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 177:1–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.01.046
Fernández B, Albentosa M (2019) Dynamic of small polyethylene microplastics (≤10 Μm) in mussel’s tissues. Mar Pollut Bull. Elsevier 146(April):493–501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.021
Francia V, Yang K, Deville S et al (2019) Corona composition can affect the mechanisms cells use to internalize nanoparticles. ACS Nano 13(10):11107–11121. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.9b03824
Frias JPGL, Nash R (2019) Microplastics: finding a consensus on the definition. Mar Pollut Bull 138(November 2018):145–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.11.022
Fries E, Dekiff JH, Willmeyer J et al (2013) Identification of polymer types and additives in marine microplastic particles using pyrolysis-GC/MS and scanning electron microscopy. Environ Sci Process Impacts 15:1949–1956. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3EM00214D
G7 Summit (2015) 41st G7 summit, held in Schloss Elmau, Krün, Bavaria, Germany
Galloway TS, Cole M, Lewis C (2017a) Interactions of microplastic debris throughout the marine ecosystem. Nat Ecol Evol 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41599-017-0116
Galloway TS, Dogra Y, Garrett N et al (2017b) Ecotoxicological assessment of nanoparticle-containing acrylic copolymer dispersions in fairy shrimp and zebrafish embryos. Environ Sci: Nano 10. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7en00385d
Gasperi J, Wright SL, Dris R et al (2018) Microplastics in air: are we breathing it in? Curr Opin Environ Sci Health. Elsevier Ltd 1:1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2017.10.002
GESAMP (2015) Sources, fate and effects of microplastic in the enviroment: a global assessment. International Marine Organisation. Report of the 42nd Session of GESAMP, UNESCO-IOC. http://www.gesamp.org/publications/report-of-the-42nd-session
Helmberger MS, Tiemann LK, Grieshop MJ (2019) Towards an ecology of soil microplastics. Funct Ecol 34:550–560. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13495
Hoang TC, Felix-Kim M (2020) Microplastic consumption and excretion by fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas): influence of particles size and body shape of fish. Sci Total Environ. Elsevier Ltd 704:135433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135433
Hodgson DJ, Bréchon AL, Thompson RC (2018) Ingestion and fragmentation of plastic carrier bags by the amphipod Orchestia gammarellus: effects of plastic type and fouling load. Mar Pollut Bull 127:154–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.057
Hufnagl B, Steiner D, Renner E et al (2019) A methodology for the fast identification and monitoring of microplastics in environmental samples using random decision forest classifiers. Anal Methods 11(17):2277–2285. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ay00252a
Imhof HK, Schmid J, Ivleva NP, Laforsch C (2012) A novel, highly efficient method for the quantification of plastic particles in sediments of aquatic environments. Limnol Oceanogr 10:524–537. https://doi.org/10.4319/lom.2012.10.524
Imhof HK, Ivleva NP, Schmid J et al (2013) Contamination of beach sediments of a subalpine lake with microplastic particles. Curr Biol 23:R867–R868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.001
Jambeck JR, et al (2015) The ocean (January). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, Science, 347(6223) https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352
Jin Y, Xia J, Pan Z et al (2018) Polystyrene microplastics induce microbiota dysbiosis and inflammation in the gut of adult zebrafish. Environ Pollut 235:322–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.088
Kalčíková G, Gotvajn AŽ, Kladnik A et al (2017) Impact of polyethylene microbeads on the floating freshwater plant duckweed Lemna minor. Environ Pollut 230:1108–1115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.050
Kawecki D, Nowack B (2019) Polymer-specific modeling of the environmental emissions of seven commodity plastics as macro- and microplastics. Environ Sci Technol 53:9664–9676. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b02900
Kinjo A, Mizukawa K, Takada H et al (2019) Size-dependent elimination of ingested microplastics in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mar Pollut Bull. Elsevier 149(April):110512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110512
Koelmans AA, Besseling E, Foekema EM (2014) Leaching of plastic additives to marine organisms. Environ Pollut 187:49–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.013
Koelmans AA, Bakir A, Burton GA et al (2016) Microplastic as a vector for chemicals in the aquatic environment: critical review and model-supported reinterpretation of empirical studies. Environ Sci Technol 50(7):3315–3326. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b06069
Lebreton LCM, van der Zwet J, Damsteeg J et al (2017) River plastic emissions to the world’s oceans. Nat Commun. Nature Publishing Group 8:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15611
Li B, Ding Y, Cheng X et al (2020) Polyethylene microplastic affect the distribution of gut microbiota and inflammation development in mice. Chemosphere 244:125492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125492
Limonta G, Mancia A, Benkhalqui A et al (2019) Microplastics induce transcriptional changes, immune response and behavioral alterations in adult zebrafish. Sci Rep. Springer US 9(1):1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52292-5
Löder MGJ, Imhof HK, Ladehoff M et al (2017) Enzymatic purification of microplastics in environmental samples. Environ Sci Technol 24:14283–14292. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b03055
Loeb G, Neihof R (1975) Marine conditioning films. Adv Chem 145(4):319–335. https://doi.org/10.1021/ba-1975-0145
Lu L, Wan Z, Luo T et al (2018) Polystyrene microplastics induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic lipid metabolism disorder in mice. Sci Total Environ 631-632:449–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.051
Luo T, Zhang Y, Wang C et al (2019) Maternal exposure to different sizes of polystyrene microplastics during gestation causes metabolic disorders in their offspring. Environ Pollut. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113122
Martínez-Gómez C, Leόn VM, Calles S et al (2017) The adverse effects of virgin microplastics on the fertilization and larval development of sea urchins. Mar Environ Res 130:69–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.06.016
Martins A, Guilhermino L (2018) Transgenerational effects and recovery of microplastics exposure in model populations of the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna Straus. Sci Total Environ. Elsevier B.V., 631–632, pp. 421–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.054
Messinetti S, Mercurio S, Parolini M et al (2017) Effects of polystyrene microplastics on early stages of two marine invertebrates with different feeding strategies. Environ Pollut 237:1080–1087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.030
Möller JN, Löder MGJ, Laforsch C (2020) Finding microplastics in soils: a review of analytical methods. Environ Sci Technol 54(4):2078–2090. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04618
Monopoli MP, Åberg C, Salvati A et al (2012) Biomolecular coronas provide the biological identity of nanosized materials. Nat Nanotechnol. Nature Publishing Group 7(12):779–786. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.207
Nasser F, Constantinou J, Lynch I (2019) Nanomaterials in the environment acquire an “eco-Corona” impacting their toxicity to Daphnia Magna – a call for updating toxicity testing policies. Proteomics:1–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmic.201800412
Nelms SE, Galloway TS, Godley BJ et al (2018) Investigating microplastic trophic transfer in marine top predators. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 238:999–1007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.016
Nizzetto L, Langaas S, Futter M (2016) Pollution: do microplastics spill on to farm soils? Nature 537:488. https://doi.org/10.1038/537488b
Oberbeckmann S, Löder MGJ, Labrenz M (2015) Marine microplastic-associated biofilms – a review. Environ Chem 12(5):551–562. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN15069
Piehl S, Leibner A, Löder MG et al (2018) Identification and quantification of macro- and microplastics on an agricultural farmland. Sci Rep 8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36172-y
Plastics – the Facts 2017 PlasticsEurope
Plastics – the Facts 2019 PlasticsEurope
Prata JC, da Costa JP, Lopes I et al (2020) Environmental exposure to microplastics: an overview on possible human health effects. Sci Total Environ. Elsevier B.V. 702:134455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134455
Rech S, Borrel Y, García-Vazquez (2016) Marine litter as a vector for non-native species: what we need to know. Mar Pollut Bull 113:40–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.08.032
Renner LD, Weibel DB (2011) Physicochemical regulation of biofilm formation. MRS Bull 36(5):347–355. https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.65
Rillig MC, Lehmann A, Abel A et al (2019) Microplastic effects on plants. New Phytol 223(3):1066–1070. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15794
Rummel CD, Jahnke A, Gorokhova E et al (2017) The impacts of biofilm formation on the fate and potential effects of microplastic in the aquatic environment. Environ Sci Technol Lett, acs.estlett.7b00164. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.7b00164
Schrank I, Trotter B, Dummert J et al (2019) Effects of microplastic particles and leaching additive on the life history and morphology of Daphnia magna. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 255:113233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113233
Shang L, Nienhaus K, Nienhaus G (2014) Engineered nanoparticles interacting with cells: size matters. J Nanobiotechnol 12(1):5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-3155-12-5
Sharma S, Chatterjee S (2017) Microplastic pollution, a threat to marine ecosystem and human health: a short review’. Environ Sci Pollut Res. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 24(27):21530–21547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9910-8
Smith M, Love DC, Rochman CM et al (2018) Microplastics in seafood and the implications for human health. Curr Environ Health Rep 5:375–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z
Sun XD, Yuan XZ, Jia Y et al (2020) Differentially charged nanoplastics demonstrate distinct accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nat Nanotechnol. Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-020-0707-4
Sussarellu R, Suquet M, Thomas Y et al (2016) Oyster reproduction is affected by exposure to polystyrene microplastics. Proc Natl Acad Sci:201519019. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1519019113
Thompson RC (2004) Lost at sea: where is all the plastic? Science 304(5672):838–838. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1094559
Toussaint B, Raffael B, Angers-Loustau A et al (2019) Review of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in the food chain. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. Taylor & Francis 36(5):639–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2019.1583381
Triebskorn R, Braunbeck T, Grummt T et al (2019) Relevance of nano- and microplastics for freshwater ecosystems: a critical review. Trends Analyt Chem 110:375–392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2018.11.023
Trotter B, Ramsperger AFRM, Raab P et al (2019) Plastic waste interferes with chemical communication in aquatic ecosystems. Sci Rep 9(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41677-1
Vianello A, Jensen RL, Liu L et al (2019) Simulating human exposure to indoor airborne microplastics using a breathing thermal manikin. Sci Rep 9:8670. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45054-w
von Moos N, Burkhardt-Holm P, Koehler A (2012) Uptake and E ff ects of microplastics on cells and tissue of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. after an experimental exposure. Environ Sci Technol 46:327–335. https://doi.org/10.1021/es302332w
Vroom RJE, Koelmans AA, Besseling E et al (2017) Aging of microplastics promotes their ingestion by marine zooplankton. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 231:987–996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.088
Wang J, Liu X, Li Y et al (2019) Microplastics as contaminants in the soil environment: a mini-review. Sci Total Environ. Elsevier B.V. 691:848–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.209
Weithmann N et al (2018) Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment. Sci Adv 4(4):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aap8060
Woodal LC, Gwinnett C, Packer M et al (2015) Using a forensic science approach to minimize environmental contamination and to identify microfibres in marine sediments. Mar Pollut Bull 15:40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.044
World Economic Forum (2016)
Wright SL, Kelly FJ (2017) Plastic and human health: a micro issue? Environ Sci Technol 51(12):6634–6647. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00423
Wright SL, Rowe D, Thompson RC, Galloway TS (2013a) Microplastic ingestion decreases energy reserves in marine worms. Curr Biol. Elsevier 23(23):R1031–R1033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.10.068
Wright SL, Thompson RC, Galloway TS (2013b) The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: a review. Environ Pollut. Elsevier Ltd 178:483–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.02.031
Yong CQY, Valiyaveetill S, Tang BL (2020) Toxicity of microplastics and nanoplastics in mammalian systems. Int J Environ Res Public Health 17(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051509
Zettler ER, Mincer TJ, Amaral-zettler L (2013) Life in the “ Plastisphere ”: Microbial communities on plastic marine debris. Environ Sci Technol. https://doi.org/10.1021/es401288x
Zhu F, Zhu C, Wang C et al (2019) Occurrence and ecological impacts of microplastics in soil systems: a review’. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. Springer US 102(6):741–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02623-z
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Laforsch, C., Ramsperger, A.F.R.M., Mondellini, S., Galloway, T.S. (2021). Microplastics: A Novel Suite of Environmental Contaminants but Present for Decades. In: Reichl, FX., Schwenk, M. (eds) Regulatory Toxicology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36206-4_138-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36206-4_138-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36206-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36206-4
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences