MICROPLASTICS: POLLUTANT OF EMERGING CONCERN- WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR? - A REVIEWKSHITIJ UPADHYAY AND SAMIR BAJPAIAbstract The increasing consumption of plastic material in our daily life is generating enormous amount of plastic waste which deteriorate the environment. Microplastics are defined as any piece of plastics in size range between 1 micron to 5 mm are a diverse contaminant group that is raising an alarming concern worldwide due to their abundance, minute size, diverse characteristic, transboundary migration and Eco-toxicological impacts. Microplastics research is in its infancy andits very challenging to assess the global abundance owing to their characteristic. Microplastics are present in various environmental matrices and they are found in body of wide range of aquatic and terrestrial biota. Due to their minuscule size, they act as vector for toxic chemicals and pathogens. Microplastics loaded with toxic chemicals enters the food web through trophic transfer at various level in aquatic ecosystem where they get consumed by organisms. Human are exposed to microplastics through contaminated food or water and through inhalation of atmospheric microplastics present in air. The eco-oxicological impact of microplastics present in guts of animals and human are being researched globally as they have potential to bio-accumulate, trans-locate and release toxic chemicals into the body. Microplastics though being a pollutant of emerging concern has garner significant attention in recent year. In this review paper an attempt has been made to discuss various types of microplastics, its sources and entry routes to the environment. We further discussed various mechanisms through which fragmentation and degradation of plastics occurring in environment. We also reviewed the sorptivebehaviour of microplastics to highlight microplastics interaction with toxic chemicals. Lastly we discussed the negative impact of microplastics on animal and human health. |