microplastics

The environmental and health hazards posed by microplastics (particles < 5 mm) have raised significant concerns in contemporary society. This study investigates the quantity, types, and forms of microplastics present in ready-to-use compost from urban and agricultural green spaces in Isfahan City, Iran, in 2023.

In this study, we analyzed the frequency, types, and morphological characteristics of microplastics in ready-to-use compost sourced from urban and agricultural green spaces in Isfahan City. We employed various methods, including sieving, Fenton digestion, flotation based on density with saturated salt, and filtration, to separate microplastic particles. A stereo microscope was utilized to count and characterize their shapes, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the types of polymers present.

The study revealed an average of 36145.8 ± 7395.1 microplastic particles per kilogram of compost. Microplastics measuring between 1000 and 5000 µm constituted the highest frequency, accounting for 78% of the total. Five types of polymers were identified in the ready-to-use compost: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), with PET being the most prevalent at 28.7%. Microplastics were observed in various forms, including fibers, foam, fragments, and films, with fibers being the most common form, comprising 60% of the total.

The concentration of microplastics in ready-to-use compost from urban and agricultural green spaces in Isfahan City is comparable to levels found in other studies conducted within the country; however, it is notably higher than those observed in countries where organic materials are properly segregated. Due to the lack of standardized limits for microplastics in compost, making international comparisons is challenging. The choice of methodologies for sampling, separation, identification protocols, measurement, and the establishment of permissible limits significantly influences study outcomes. Hence, it is crucial to establish standardized methods to ensure consistency and accuracy in assessing microplastics in compost.

The production of plastic materials has increased in recent decades due to the development of industries and the increase in packaged products, which after disposal in the environment, become fine particles called microplastics that can pollute the environment, especially water resources. Various studies have reported the presence and release of microplastics in food products such as salts and sugars, processed and packaged food, disposable plastic and paper containers and cups, and bottles of mineral water. Microplastics enter the food chain due to their very small size (less than 5mm) and can enter the bodies of living organisms and humans and gain bioaccumulation. Microplastics can enter the bloodstream through the intestines, and penetrate to all organs and tissues. Studies show the presence of microplastic particles in tissues such as the liver, muscles, and brain. Living organisms and humans suffer internal injuries due to direct or indirect microplastics consumption through water, food, and respiratory system, especially in the digestive systems and intestinal obstruction, disruption of the activities of tissues and organs, disruption of the central nervous system, and even some cancers. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce exposure to microplastics by properly managing the production and consumption of plastics and culturalizing less use of packaged and disposable products.

Airborne microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in diameter, with primary and secondary sources that come into contact with the human body in various ways. Due to their widespread distribution in the environment, they can pose a threat to other living organisms and even non-living elements. The aim of the current study is to investigate the health and environmental effects of airborne microplastics.

In the initial search for articles, a total of 163 articles were found from 2018 to 2023, which was reduced to 107 after removing duplicates. Then, during the screening stage, the titles and abstracts of the articles were reviewed, resulting in 31 articles remaining. The full text of the screened articles was studied to obtain relevant articles, and finally, 27 articles were used in the present study.

Airborne microplastics exhibit various characteristics in terms of shape, size, and color. They are distributed from various sources such as clothing, vehicle tires, and healthcare products. In addition to their effects on the environment (vegetation, soil, aquatic animals, polar ice, etc.), these particles can also have destructive effects on the human body, including endocrine disorders, weakness in the nervous system, energy metabolism disorders, asthma, and even cancer.

Due to their widespread distribution, high resistance, and especially their potential effects on living organisms, airborne microplastics can be considered a serious global threat. With the anticipated increasing trend of the presence of these particles in our environment, more studies are needed to determine the effects of airborne microplastics on human health and the environment as much as possible.

Plastic waste represents one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the world today, with microplastics emerging as a focal point for researchers over the past few decades. Pollution from microplastics is accumulating in aquatic ecosystems at an unprecedented scale, serving as new surfaces for biofilm formation and gene exchange. Recent studies have highlighted the negative impacts of microplastics on marine life. The effects of microplastics on sea creatures primarily occur through the direct ingestion of plastic particles, leading to internal damage. Additionally, these pollutants adversely affect the distribution of certain marine species that utilize these materials as sites for laying eggs. Consequently, the presence of microplastics in seawater-especially given the high consumption of seafood (fish and shellfish) in some countries-raises concerns regarding their potential impact on human health. Many researchers emphasize that one of the most critical effects of microplastics in marine environments is their ability to absorb chemical pollutants. Beyond merely transporting these contaminants, microplastics also enhance the environmental stability of these substances. Microplastics provide an extensive and suitable substrate for microbial accumulation in aquatic ecosystems. The formation of microplastic-microorganism complexes, such as biofilms, facilitates the degradation of organic matter and horizontal gene transfer. In this context, microplastics influence the structure and function of microbial communities, revealing both physical and chemical effects that pose challenges for microbiology, ecology, and ecotoxicology. The dispersion of microplastics is diverse, encompassing associated microorganisms and genetic elements, including antibiotic resistance genes, pathogenicity islands, and metabolic pathways. Functional changes within aquatic microbiomes can alter carbon metabolism and food webs, leading to unknown consequences for both organisms and human microbiomes-and, consequently, human health. The spread of antibiotic resistance through microplastics poses a significant risk for the evolution of aquatic bacteria and represents an often-overlooked threat to human health. Studies indicate that horizontal gene transfer in this habitat can significantly impact the ecology of aquatic microbial communities on a global scale. Therefore, comprehensive research on microplastics and nanoplastics and their effects within the food chain is essential. This article aims to review various studies on this pollutant and highlight some of its effects in marine environments.

Microplastics (MPs) as an emerging pollution with a size of less than 5 mm, can act as carriers of chemical and biological pollutants and have destructive effects on the environment and human health. Drinking water is one of the methods of exposure and entry of these particles into the human body. The importance of water treatment plants is to eliminate and reduce the maximum of existing microplastics and prevent them from entering water sources. Optimizing the removal of microplastics in drinking water treatment plants can reduce the risk of human exposure to these substances. This study reviews the frequency and characteristics of microplastics in water and sludge of drinking water treatment plants and the efficiency of different processes in their removal. This study is a narrative review. To identify the studies that investigated microplastics in water and sludge of a water treatment plant, Persian and English studies in the period from 2013 to 2024 with two groups of Persian keywords including microplastics, water, sludge, water treatment plant, and English keywords. Including Drinking water treatment plants, DWTP Sludge and Microplastic. Google Scholar, PubMed, John Wiley, and ScienceDirect sources were searched. A total of 816 articles were obtained. After removing duplicate articles, the number of articles was reduced to 798 articles. Then, by checking the titles and abstracts, the number of articles was limited to 38. By reviewing the articles whose full text was available, 12 articles were finally left, 9 articles were about microplastics in water, 2 articles were about microplastics in water treatment plant sludge, and 1 article was jointly about microplastics in water. Water and sludge from the water treatment plant. The results showed that the number of microplastics in raw water with the origin of surface sources (reservoirs and rivers) varied between 4.23±1.26 to 3918±425 numbers per liter and the size distribution of microplastics in water can be different depending on the source of raw water. Investigations showed that the predominant size of these particles was less than 100 micrometers. In addition, the most abundant types of microplastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate with two forms of fragment and fibers. The number of microplastics in sludge is very high and can be as high as 86,000 particles per gram of dry sludge. Also, common water purification processes including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and sand filtration can remove microplastics by 39-70%, but if granular activated carbon is used in the continuation of the conventional purification process, the efficiency will reach 97%. These particles can eventually be swallowed by humans or aquatic organisms as a result of water consumption or left on the ground as a result of the use of sludge in agriculture.This study showed that microplastics with different characteristics in terms of size, shape, color, and polymer are present in raw water, and most of them accumulate in sludge. Therefore, to prevent the harmful environmental effects of these particles, it is necessary to purify the sludge from the water treatment plant before entering the environment.

recently microplastics environmentally concerned in the world. Basically microplastics mentions to any synthetic insoluble solid particles with a even or uneven shape and with a diameter equal or less than to 5 mm. main concerns about microplastics is the unknown possible effects and hazards they can have on ecosystems and human health, which several uncertainties are related to these effects. So microplastics can cause different adverse effects such as mental and reproductive problems, intestinal damage, immune and neurotoxicity disorders. Also chemicals and microorganisms accompanying with microplastics could impose unpredictable effects on human health.

The current study is a comprehensive review with an environmental and human health attitude. This study intended to recognize and highlighted the importance, origin, mechanism and effects of microplastics on different tissues of the human body and different parts of the environment for interested students and researchers in this field by using the review of the studies that carried out and published in the period of 2000 to 2024 and in the various database such as Google Scholar, Elsevier, Scopus, ResearchGate, PubMed, ProQuest, Science Direct and Springer.

based on different study average intake of microplastics in human is estimated to be around 39,000 to 52,000 particles per year based on the food consumption and Microplastics with different colors and sizes from 800 nm to 5 mm have been detected in several human samples including lung, breast milk, liver, spleen, placenta, blood, sputum, large intestine, saliva, semen, urine and testis.

Despite several research carried out about microplastics, but significant data gaps still exist about microplastics which must be fulfilled with new innovative and scientific study. The preventative measures that are currently carried out in order to reduce microplastics are not sufficient, and more remarkable and efficient actions must be taken to significantly reduce the level of microplastics in the world.

Microplastics are persistent environmental pollutants. Their presence in water resources, air and food chains is a growing concern all over the world. Since air is a strong environmental substrate, the release and effects of airborne microplastics can remain localized or go far beyond the point of release. In this study, the indoor and outdoor air pollution of residential houses in Kermanshah, Iran, was investigated.

In order to collect samples, different parts of the houses, including bedroom, living room, kitchen, corridor, yard and roof, were selected as the sampling points. Ten stations were selected as the sampling points. After washing with distilled water, the samples were transferred to the laboratory through a fiberglass filter (diameter 47 mm, 1.1 μm pore size) and filtered using a vacuum pump. After preparing and extracting the above samples, the visual method was used for the quantitative and qualitative detection of the microplastics.

The results of the study confirmed the presence of microplastics in all the samples. The frequency of microplastics was minimum 158 and maximum 4480 per square meter. The indoor samples were significantly more polluted than the outdoor samples. The highest frequency was related to black fiber, which can be attributed to a textile origin. Also, more than 78% of the samples were determined to be less than 500 micrometers in size.

Exposure to microplastic-contaminated air is inevitable, and currently, our knowledge about the release of microplastics in indoor air as well as the factors affecting microplastic transmission is lacking. There is a need for more studies focusing on these issues, because they are of great importance in assessing the potential risk of microplastics on human health.

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging pollutant with a long environmental persistence. Although several studies were conducted on MPs pollution in aquatic environments, soil environments received less attention due to the intangibility of pollution and the difficulty of evaluating MPs in soil. The present systematic study aimed to investigate the contamination of MPs in municipal waste landfill soil.

This systematic review was performed in accordance with the principles of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). To that end, the databases PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and internal databases of Magiran and SID were searched using the terms Microplastic, Soil, landfill, and their MeSH equivalents until 2023. Finally, 15 studies were evaluated after being screened based on the entry/exit criteria and study objectives.

According to studies, the type and quantity of microplastics in the soil of municipal solid waste landfills are affected by various parameters. Microplastics had different concentrations and particle sizes from less than 10 μm to more than 5 mm. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were the most extracted chemical compounds. The MPs levels fluctuated with sampling depth and rose with the age of the landfill site and plastic components. Smaller-sized microplastics were most frequent in regions where plastic debris had been subjected to severe weathering.

The enormous production of plastic waste and its health and ecological risks as an emerging and persistent pollutant in the environment emphasizes the importance of implementing programs to minimize plastic materials use and increase recycling of its waste. On the other hand, given the importance of soil quality in the food chain and its direct impact on air and water pollution, continuous monitoring and control of soil pollution with these substances, as well as research into the sources of their entry into the environment, can help to manage this challenge.

 Given the concern about the presence of microplastics in the air and settled dust, and the lack of a standard approach for their detection, it is necessary to investigate the methods and techniques used to study this type of pollution in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the methods and techniques used for sampling, quantification, and characterization of microplastics in the air and settled dust in indoor and outdoor environments in Iran.

 In this systematic review, the keywords Microplastic*, Air*, Atmosphere*, Dust, Indoor, Outdoor, Iran, and their corresponding Persian equivalents were searched until Dec 1, 2023, in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Magiran, and SID databases. Obtained articles from the databases were analyzed in order to find the eligible ones.

 Overall, 175 articles were found in the initial search, and after removing the duplicates and nonrelevant, 13 eligible articles were included in the study. In most of the studies, the samples were digested with H2O2, and the microplastics were mainly analyzed using a variety of microscopes and µRaman spectroscopy. The abundance of microplastics in the indoor environment was much higher than in the outdoor environment.

 The results of this study showed that there is the required equipment for the sampling and analysis of microplastics in air and settled dust in Iran, and these pollutants have been detected in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Microplastic pollution due to its small size can be used by a wide range of marine organisms and accumulate mainly in their digestive system, as they have been found in the tissues of aquatic animals, including fish. Due to the nutritional importance of fish for humans, it is very important to check their contamination. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the presence of microplastics in skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the Oman Sea.

17 pieces of skipjack tuna were used. After the biometry, dissection and isolation of the digestive system of the fish, the digestion and extraction of microplastics were done using KOH solution. Identification and counting were also done by a stereomicroscope equipped with a digital camera. FTIR spectrophotometric analyses were performed to investigate the polymers.

The total frequency and average frequency of microplastics are 331 particles and 19.4±7.3 particles per individual, respectively. String (64.35%) and pieces (28.7%) were the dominant forms in the samples. The highest color spectrum was assigned to red (28.7%) and the lowest to violet (1.51%). The largest number of identified microplastics had a size of 0.5-1 mm (53%). Analysis of particles by ATR-FTIR method showed that nylon polymer and polycarbonate were the dominant polymer particles.

Microplastics are present in all samples. The abundance of microplastics in water, sediments and contaminated bait makes them easily available and swallowed by fish, which is most likely the main reason for the presence of microplastics in fish.

Despite recent efforts to identify microplastics in the aquatic environment worldwide, identifying the various sources of its release remains a challenging task. Understanding and identifying the different sources of aquatic pollution and the processes affecting them is essential for a comprehensive description of the quality of water resources. The aim of this study is therefore to introduce statistical methods to determine the sources of microplastics in aquatic environments.

This review article first identifies the pathways of microplastic entry into the aquatic environment, followed by an examination of four commonly used multivariate statistical methods Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Cluster Analysis (CA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF).

Multivariate statistical analysis can be used to determine different variables such as size, shape, color, and density of microplastics. It can also determine the sources of microplastics (domestic wastewater, industrial effluents, agricultural activities, surface runoff, air currents, etc.). It also identifies which variables have the greatest impact on pollution and suggests the best solutions to reduce pollution.

the study of pollution based on multivariate statistical analysis can provide important information on the main sources of microplastic pollution and the relative contribution of different sources in the aquatic environment, which can help to improve environmental management and reduce pollution.