Assessing the microplastic pandemic: Prevalence, detection, and human health impacts in Asian aquatic environments

Abstract

Microplastics pose a major threat to the globe due to their increased pollution and concerning effects on biota and humans. Presently, every terrestrial and marine region is affected diversely by microplastic contamination. The most polluted locations are industrialized metropolitan areas and coastal regions with considerable human activity. In this study, we choose representative samples of freshwater, marine, and biota in water, as well as sediments with different levels of microplastic pollution and distinct geographical conditions. For individually chosen aquatic areas and matrices, we reviewed, assessed, and summarised the current microplastic pollution and various methods of microplastic pollution assessment. The highest concentration of microplastics in data collected in Asia was found to be 372 ± 14.3 item/L and 9630 ± 2947 item/kg in the water and sediments of the Mumbai, India, coast. This huge abundance might be generated by human activities near the coastal areas as well as due to migration and tourism. This could also be due to sewage discharge and untreated domestic wastewater that is being dumped into the environment. Consuming of microplastic particles can put humans at risk for cytotoxicity, hypersensitivity, an unwanted immune response, and acute responses such as haemolysis, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and neurological conditions. Focusing on pollution status and potential mitigation path for microplastics from freshwater to oceans, we compared the distribution and important characteristics of microplastics in different locations. This study leads researchers to emphasis the reduction of MP pollution in densely populated areas like Asia.