Plastic and Microplastic in the Environment

Table 1.1 Summary of selected studies on MP contamination in natural freshwater systems.

The number of studies of MP pollution in freshwater environments is growing in the scientific community due to the potential risks to the environment. The results of studies worldwide indicated a high abundance of MPs in freshwater environments. The pollutants were found in all continents of the world, from remote to densely populated areas. Although less data is available, current studies depicted that MPs in freshwater environments are ubiquitous, and concentrations are equivalent to the marine environment. MPs can be discharged into freshwater environments through various pathways such as effluent from WWTPs and during solid waste collection, processing, and landfilling. Therefore, techniques for wastewater treatment and solid waste management need to be improved to mitigate the MP pollution problems. Until now, most studies on MPs in freshwater environments has been conducted in the western hemisphere. Knowledge of the pollutants is insufficient in the other hemispheres such as in South America, Africa, and Asia. Moreover, there are no standard methods for sample collection, preparation, analysis, and reporting of MPs; as a result, data on MPs in freshwater environments cannot be compared easily. This limits further comprehension of MPs and the development of solutions to control the pollutants. Therefore, further studies are required to standardize methods to ensure consistency in monitoring MPs. Furthermore, studies of MPs in freshwater environments need to progress rapidly to fulfill knowledge gaps in the distribution and risks of MP pollution in the environments.

This study was funded by the Asia‐Pacific Network for Global Change Research (CRRP2018‐09MY‐Babel). The authors would like to acknowledge a Ph.D. scholarship, provided to the first author by the Thailand Research Fund (PHD/0241/2560).

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