Outlook and overview of microplastics pollution in ecological environment

Abstract

Microplastics are attracting more and more attention as a new type of pollutant in the ecological environment. Microplastics are difficult to degrade because of their unique physical and chemical properties. Some microplastics adsorbed toxic chemicals (e.g. heavy metals or organic pollutants) will cause a series of toxicological effects in organisms. This paper summarized the research progress in microplastics from the aspects of the types, distribution, detection and the toxicological effects. In addition, future research directions were also proposed and discussed.