Nanoplastics and Microplastics: Environmental Hazards and Effect on Organisms
摘要
Microplastics (~1 μm to 5 μm) and nanoplastics (<1 μm) have emerged as toxic substances with a significant impact on the environment due to their widespread presence in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and on land. They have been posing a serious threat to various organisms such as marine, plants, mammals, soil biota, and humans. These particles are introduced into the environment from plastic materials due to different environmental conditions, causing harmful effects on living organisms. These MPs and NPs are easily bio-accumulated in the bodies of organisms as they are readily ingested by them. The long-term accumulation and long exposure to these particles create autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammation, which generates insulin resistance, obesity, affects cardiac health, reproductive issues, and many more. To mitigate this detrimental impact, measures have been taken through the development of various remediation technologies. On the institutional level, steps have been taken by the waste management of different plastic materials. This review represents how effectively combating the micro plastic and nanoplastic pollution through diverse management, observing different plans of action, and how the regulatory measures relieve the living organisms from this environmental threat. This article also focuses briefly on the discussion of how these MPs and NPs are involved in human health deterioration.