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The widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic ecosystems that caused environmental pollution has attracted worldwide attention. Herein, graphene electrode was initially derived from petroleum waste. Then the electrochemical responses of the electrode were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) toward polystyrene (PS) under various optimum conditions. For the quantitative measurement of PS concentration, principal component analysis (PCA) score images displayed that the data points offered the best discrimination of the classes, and singular value decomposition (SVD) showed that a good linearity was achieved between Z"u(1) and lgC

Plastic particles of diameters ranging from 1 to 1000 nm and 1 µm to 5 mm are respectively known as nanoplastics and microplastics, and are collectively termed micro(nano)plastics (MNPs). They are ubiquitously present in aquatic and terrestrial environments, posing adverse multifaceted ecological impacts. Recent transgenerational studies have demonstrated that MNPs negatively impact both the exposed parents and their unexposed generations. Therefore, this review summarizes the available research on the transgenerational impacts of MNPs in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, induced by exposure to MNPs alone or in combination with other organic and inorganic chemicals. The most commonly reported transgenerational effects of MNPs include tissue bioaccumulation and transfer, affecting organisms' survival, growth, reproduction, and energy metabolism; inducing oxidative stress; enzyme and genetic responses; and causing tissue damage. Similarly, co-exposure to MNPs and chemicals (organic and inorganic pollutants) significantly impacts survival, growth, and reproduction and induces oxidative stress, thyroid disruption, and genetic toxicity in organisms. The characteristics of MNPs (degree of aging, size, shape, polymer type, and concentration), exposure type and duration (parental exposure vs. multigenerational exposure and acute exposure vs. chronic exposure), and MNP-chemical interactions are the main factors affecting transgenerational impacts. Selecting MNP properties based on their realistic environmental behavior, employing more diverse animal models, and considering chronic exposure and MNP-chemical mixture exposure are salient research prospects for an in-depth understanding of the transgenerational impacts of MNPs.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are good carriers of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and can modify their bioavailability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. This study highlights the single and combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) and 2,2 ',4,4 '-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47, one of the major PBDE congeners) on zebrafish embryos after an exposure of up to 120 hpf. Our results showed that PS-NPs and BDE-47 formed larger particle aggregates during co-exposure, which attached to the surface of the yolk membrane and even changed its structure, and these particles also bioaccumulated in the intestine of zebrafish larvae, compared with the PS-NPs single exposure. Further, the co-exposure significantly increased mortality, accelerated voluntary movements, enhanced hatching rate, and decreased heart rate. Hepatoxicity analyses revealed that the mixture exposure induced a darker/browner liver colour, atrophied liver and greater hepatotoxicity in zebrafish larvae. In addition to increased ROS accumulation, the reduced expression of the antioxidant gpx1a gene and increased expression of cyp1a1 were found after co-treatment. Moreover, ache and chrn7α genes associated with neurocentral development, were significantly downregulated, mainly in the co-exposure group. In conclusion, simultaneous exposure to PS-NPs and BDE-47 exacerbated oxidative stress, developmental impacts, hepatotoxicity, and neurodevelopmental toxicity in zebrafish larvae. Therefore, neurotoxic effects of complex chemical interactions between PS-NPs and persistent organic pollutants in freshwater environments should be paid more attention.

Microplastic/nanoplastic (MP/NP) pollution has emerged as one of the world's most serious environmental issues, with the potential for grave consequences for ecosystems and human health. This review summarizes the current literature on the impacts of MPs/NPs on higher plants to reveal their phytotoxicity. MPs/NPs can be absorbed into plant roots and then enter and translocate to other tissues by transpirational pull. The interaction between plastic particles and plants not only causes oxidative stress but also induces adverse impacts on photosynthesis, metabolism, genetic expression, and other growth parameters. Furthermore, the combination of MP/NP pollution with other contaminants makes the joint effect more complex. The phytotoxicity of MPs/NPs depends on the characteristics of the plastic particles (exposure dose, size, shape, type, age, and surface charge) and of the plants (species, tissues, and growth stage). The ecotoxicity of MPs/NPs in plant species' surrounding habitats is also discussed. MPs/NPs can alter soil characteristics such as soil structure, water holding capacity, and pH in the rhizosphere. In addition, the rhizosphere microbial community composition and diversity were observed to change in the presence of MPs/NPs. Therefore, MPs/NPs can indirectly affect plant growth by changing the soil properties and the microbial community. In addition, suggestions for future study directions were also given. In summary, this review highlights the potential effects of MPs/NPs on higher plants and the surrounding environment and calls for additional studies to be carried out on the impact of plastic particles on the ecosystem and human health.

Micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) have sparked growing public and scientific concerns as emerging pollutants in recent decades, due to their small size and potential for significant ecological and human health impacts. Understanding the toxicological effects of MNPs on aquatic organisms is of great importance; however, most of the available research on aquatic organisms has focused on the pelagic organisms, and studies on benthic organisms are lacking yet. Being bottom-dwelling creatures, benthos perhaps confronts more extreme pressure from MNPs. Therefore, this review summarizes the current literature on the impacts of MNPs on benthic organisms to reveal their toxicity on the survival, growth, development and reproductive systems. MNPs can accumulate in various tissues of benthos and probably cause tissue-specific damage, resulting in genotoxicity and reproductive toxicity to benthic organisms. And, in severe cases, they may also pass on the adverse effects to the next generations. The complexity of co-exposure to MNPs with other aquatic contaminants is also highlighted. Furthermore, we have comprehensively discussed the internal and external factors affecting the toxicity of MNPs in benthic organisms. Additionally, we also presented the current research gaps and potential future challenges, providing overall background information for a thorough understanding of the toxic effects of MNPs in the benthic aquatic ecosystem.

Extensive applications of plastic in human life has caused substantial microplastic pollution in the global environment, which, due to plastic's ubiquitous nature and everlasting ecological impact, has caused worldwide concern. In aquatic ecosystems, microplastics are ingested by aquatic animals, affecting their growth and development and resulting in trophic transfer to higher organisms in the food chain. Therefore, consumption of aquatic products is a main primary source of human exposure to microplastics. Recently, aquaculture production has experienced tremendous growth and will exceed production from fish catch soon. Because they constitute an important source of protein in the human food supply, aquaculture products contaminated with microplastics directly affect food quality and safety. The present review summarizes documented studies regarding the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in various aquaculture systems and species and compares microplastic pollution in aquaculture species and captured species. Microplastics in aquaculture environments mainly come from exogenous imports, such as plastic waste and debris from the land, tourism, shipping transportation and atmospheric deposition. In addition, the use of plastic gear and equipment, aquaculture feed and health products, and special aquaculture environments contribute to a higher accumulation of microplastics. We also discuss the adverse effects of microplastics in aquaculture species and the potential health risks of microplastics to humans through the food chain. In summary, this review highlights the effects of microplastic pollution in aquaculture, particularly the ecological impacts on aquaculture species and associated human health implications, and calls for restricted control of microplastics in aquaculture ecosystems.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging global contaminants, attracting more and more attention because of their difficulty in degradation, extensive and persistent pollution. In freshwater environment, especially in the ocean, they have become a global, public and even political research hotspot. However, the distribution, fate and ecological hazards of MPs in agricultural land and other soils have not been explored fully. Although the occurrence of MPs in different habitats has been reviewed at home and abroad, little attention has been paid to its environmental behavior, ecotoxicology and interaction with biological and chemical pollutants in soil. This review summaries the research progress on the source, accumulation, degradation and migration of MPs in soil, the potential risks of ecological environment and food chain. In order to provide theoretical basis and practical suggestions for related research and regulatory countermeasures, the detection and treatment methods and mechanism of microplastics in soil need to be further explored.

Studies of microplastics (MPs) have highlighted their ubiquity in various environments. Recently, microplastics have been observed in atmospheric fallout collected from some cities. Although the studies are limited, some researches have shown that synthetic textiles are main source of airborne microplastics, and fibers are the dominant shape of microplastics in the atmosphere. Due to their small size, airborne microplastics can be directly inhaled posing health risks to humans, particularly to industry workers. Meteorological conditions and human activities affect the distribution and deposition of airborne microplastics. Furthermore, airborne microplastics are contributors to microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. We summarized the current knowledge and provide insights into further research to better understand airborne microplastics and their risks to human.

Microplastic is an emerging global pollutant that have attracted a great deal of attention from researchers and the public. Guangdong Province has a large population and a relatively well-developed economy, but lacks a modern pollution control system. Guangdong has a long coastline with varying levels of pollution, and little research has been conducted on microplastics. Therefore, we investigated the level of microplastic pollution in coastal areas of Guangdong Province, and the abundance of microplastics in surface waters and sediments at 13 sampling sites. The abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediment samples ranged from 850 to 3500 items/L and 433.3 to 4166.3 items/kg, respectively. Fiber is the main type of microplastics in both surface water and sediment. The sampled microplastics were typically transparent. Raman results show that the surface water sample mainly includes rayon (38.2%), polyethylene terephthalate (16.4%), and ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer (12.7%). This study used the pollution load index method to evaluate the pollution risk of microplastics along the coast of Guangdong, and provided the basis for the formulation of environmental policy.