Detrimental effects of microplastics in aquatic fauna on marine and freshwater environments – A comprehensive review

Abstract

The world is ever evolving and new technologies are popping up everywhere. New inventions and discoveries have created a better world, but not a sustainable one. The whole earth is drowning in various pollutants and garbage. Plastic pollution has garnered sufficient attention and there are various teams and organizations working toward cleaning our beaches, parks, and environment. However, all these actions will not suffice as plastics have trickled down into microplastics, which are posing a greater threat to our water systems and aquatic fauna. Several ongoing researches focus on marine microplastics, while only 13% of studies are on freshwater. Research on microplastics is now on the rise, with new strategies and restrictions being put into place to curb its accumulation in our marine and freshwater environments. In a recent study, microplastics were found to be present in human blood with. Out of 22 people tested, 17 test subjects had microplastics present in their blood. This review focuses on the adverse effects of microplastics in marine and freshwater ecosystems, with special focus on aquatic fauna.