Distribution of Microplastics in Man-made Water Bodies

Abstract

Plastic is one of the most commonly produced and used materials in the world due to its great features. It has also become the most prevalent type of debris found in our oceans, lakes, wetlands, and other lentic systems. Plastic (from the Greek “plastikos”, meaning mouldable) is made of synthetic organic polymers. Anthropogenic activity has resulted in the deposition of a complex combination of materials in different water bodies, which may include synthetic polymers (plastics) which are degraded into smaller fragments which will be in the size of <5 mm; these are termed microplastics. Microplastic pollution is one of the main matters of concern nowadays, specifically due to the increasing anthropogenic activities in and around the different water bodies which lead to ubiquitous distribution of microplastics in water systems. It is a gleaming topic among the environmentalists of the world. The environmental release of MPs will occur from a wide variety of sources, including emissions from wastewater treatment plants, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc. and from the degradation of larger plastic debris. In recent years, interest in the effects of microplastics (MPs) has shifted towards freshwater ecosystems and in this chapter, we provide an overview of the issues of microplastic pollution that are concerned with manmade water bodies which can be inland as well as coastal environments as well as the sources of contamination of water bodies with microplastics, their influence and a conclusion.