Introduction

 Do you know that the most dangerous contaminants that have recently been found to seriously harm ecosystems? That is Micro plastics. Although the effects of plastic pollution are already a serious problem that needs to be addressed on a global scale, the micro form of the problem has brought up even more serious issues. In this blog we will discuss the harmful effects of plastic pollution.

Micro Plastics:

Microplastics are the result of plastic breaking down into smaller pieces due to various natural forces such as wind, currents, and UV radiation. Due to their small size, marine animals may inadvertently swallow them, which could result in fatalities or serious injury. In addition, human health, the coastal environment, food safety and quality, and climate change are all at risk from microplastics.

Recently under COVID-19 pandemic situation, the worldwide production and disposal of face masks, sanitizer bottles, plastic laboratory and medical materials have drastically amplified, contributing significant plastic and micro-plastic litter in the environment. Numerous organizations worldwide are trying to address the issue of microplastics waste by approaches of sustainable waste management.

 Occurrence of Microplastics in Environment :

In a nutshell plastics are synthetic polymers that are frequently combined with additional substances to enhance their properties. The discovery of tiny plastic fragments in the open ocean was first documented in the 1970s, and in 2004 the name "microplastics" was introduced and the material was classified as a contaminant.

Microplastics are most abundantly found in food chain. Primary and secondary microplastics are the two sorts that they might be depending on the technique of creation. Humans deliberately create primary microplastics for commercial use (microbeads in toothpaste, face wash, etc.). However, photooxidative, chemical, biological, or mechanical alterations to the initial plastic polymers result in subsequent microplastics.

Nowadays, microplastics have polluted seas, lakes, soils and air due to the improper plastic waste management.

Effect of Microplastics Pollution on Human Health

Ingestion of microplastics in humans is primarily brought about by eating seafood, but commercial salts derived from the sea, saline lakes, or saline rocks may also include microplastics. Human cells and lymphatic systems are susceptible to microplastics entry, which ultimately allows the particles to move throughout the body through the circulatory systems. This pattern also applies to dogs, mice, and rabbits in addition to humans.

Bioremediation of Microplastics:

Numerous bio-based solutions are available to address environmental microplastics contamination. One of the most promising methods for breaking down microplastics is bioremediation. It is an environmentally beneficial method of valorizing environmental pollutants. A number of procedures, including plant-mediated bioremediation and microbial bioremediation, are included under the general term "bioremediation."

The economical and environmentally beneficial method of treating microplastics is microbial bioremediation. Bacteria mediated remediation is widely studied and executed in removal of microplastics from soil, aquatic life and also waste water treatment plants. Microplastics have been documented to be degraded by a wide variety of bacterial taxa, including Vibrio, Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Acetobacteriodes, Saccharomonospora, Thermobifida, Alteromonadaceae, Burkholderiales, and Pseudomonas etc.

Conclusion and Future Prospect

All forms of single-use, non-biodegradable plastics are becoming increasingly important pollutants, the full extent of which has not yet been thoroughly studied with regard to living things. It's concerning that only a portion of the effect on the ecology has been investigated; this needs to be strictly regulated. Research on the detrimental effects of microplastic pollution on bionetworks, as well as its identification, sensing, and treatment technologies, is still in its early stages.

Researchers have been attempting to address the issue of microplastics contamination from the beginning by focusing on its origin, occurrence, detection, and remediation.

Although a number of studies have been conducted to develop reliable and practical sensing techniques for the study of microplastics, however, a workable solution is still unattainable.

At this early level of development, the recently investigated technologies are insufficient and unable to manage the widespread pollution of soil, aquatic environments, and live species. Therefore, in order to address a knowledge gap in the field of plastic mitigation and halt the microplastics tsunami, enhanced tactics involving rapid identification techniques, effective treatment, and remediation are required for a sustainable future.

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Dr Izharul Haq
Assistant Professor
School of Life and Basic Sciences,
Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India