ABSTRACT

In the existing world, the production and utility of plastics has grown exponentially. The wideranging applications of plastics have increased plastic wastes. Through various sources, these wastes reach the freshwater bodies and pollute them, including abiotic and biotic components. These pollutants are of different shapes and sizes. The microplastics (less than 5 mm) were observed in freshwater bodies, i.e., rivers, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, etc. The microplastics are considered to be a new threat to the abiotic and biotic environment of freshwater ecosystems. The plastic contaminants pose ecological and eco-toxicological risks for the freshwater ecosystems. In this review article, the sources and impacts of microplastic pollutants have been emphasized. The plastic polluted freshwater ultimately merges into the oceans and pollutes the marine ecosystem too. It is the need of the day to pay attention to the threat of plastic pollution in fresh water bodies which adversely affects the environment universally. We need to make globally acceptable strategies and policies to check the plastic contaminated discharges into the aquatic environment. Keywords: Plastic, Microplastics, Ecosystem, Freshwater, Marine, Biotic, Abiotic
Publication date: 01/07/2020

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2020/July/MS_IJBPAS_2020_5136.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2020/9.7.5136