Ecotoxicological perspectives of microplastics

Chayan Munshi, Shelley Bhattacharya

Plastic pollution has been in discussion from last few decades. However, in the recent days, microplastic (MP) contamination has become an additional issue of concern for ecotoxicologists as extensive research on MP toxicity revealed serious effects on the environment, chronically. Global data on the production and usage of plastic compounds, demonstrated a steady exponential increasing pattern over time, thus creating an elevated threat to the ecosystem health. There are certain unavoidable anthropogenic sources of microplastics (MP) in our planet and it is necessary to understand how and at what level, MP particles are spreading in several ecosystems and thus an explicit global mapping of the environmental risk assessment is pivotal. Through this article, we are comprehensively elucidating the ecotoxicological standpoint of microplastics in recent days.