Types and Sources of Microplastics; The Ubiquitous Environment Contaminant: A Review

Accumulation of Microplastics (MPs) in diverse ecosystems is a growing global problem of our time. These are entering into the environment directly (micro-sized plastics manufactured purposefully) and by degradation of plastic products. Due to a diverse range of polymers and additives used to manufacture plastic products, the MPs of different chemical compositions are abundant in the environment. A detailed literature survey revealed that MPs -environment interaction is largely governed by these chemicals and other intrinsic properties of MPs viz. shape, size, density, surface charge, etc. The current investigation primarily aims to review different chemical and physical factors of MPs that potentially influence their interaction with diverse ecosystems. The effort justifies keeping these parameters at the centre of the future researches in the field of plastics and the health of the environment and humans. Also, the piece of work highlights various sources of MPs that would help to take necessary measures for the judicious use of plastic products.