Micro Plastic Contamination: A Comprehensive Review of Risks and Sustainable Solutions

Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, known as microplastics, come from microbeads, synthetic fibres, and the decomposition of bigger plastics. Surface runoff, wastewater effluent, and air deposition carry these particles to aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics can damage aquatic species, impair feeding and reproduction, and bioaccumulate toxins. Humans may have digestive, respiratory, and reproductive difficulties from intake or inhalation. Bans on microbeads, waste management improvements, sophisticated wastewater treatment plant filtration systems, and consumer education on plastic reduction and disposal are mitigation options. The detection, quantification, and regulation of microplastics remain difficult despite these efforts.