Microplastics in freshwater and soil: an evidence synthesis

It is not is whether they known how significant a vector for pollutants have the potential Microplastics and chemicals microplastics might be in freshwater and soil to leave the This synthesis examines both the impact of environments when compared to organic chemicals added to microplastics, and the impact debris or normal food sources such as microplastic once of pollutants already in the environ. [...] Internationally, a range of comparable priority and increasingly being studied, research 8 MICROPLASTICS IN FRESHWATER AND SOIL INTRODUCTION into the impacts of microplastics, especially Distribution of plastics and microplastics in freshwater and soil, is still in its infancy and It is estimated that around 8 billion tonnes Of the plastic that major evidence gaps remain. [...] larger pieces of can enter the environment (Figure 7) and it is Other microplastics come from the degradation plastic litter in the very difficult to get an accurate measure of all of larger plastic items and also the wear and of these. [...] MICROPLASTICS IN FRESHWATER AND SOIL 31 CHAPTER THREE Whether chemicals are released from the Other studies suggest that because the microplastics and into the animal depends on microplastics themselves are so attractive In studies looking the difference between the attractiveness of to pollutants, the pollutants may be unlikely at the exposure the microplastic and the attractiveness of the to lea. [...] MICROPLASTICS IN FRESHWATER AND SOIL 35 CHAPTER FIVE Discussion In the main body of this synthesis, we have There is evidence demonstrating the summarised the best available evidence presence of microplastics in freshwater and Despite these relating to the impact of microplastics on soil environments and within the animals that evidence gaps animals, including humans.