Ocean contamination by synthetic polymers can represent a risk for the fitness of marine species due to the leaching of chemical additives. This study evaluated the sub-lethal effects of plastic and rubber leachates on the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis through a battery of biomarkers encompassing...

Microplastic fibres (MPFs) often make up the largest fraction of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, yet little is known about their degradative fate and persistence. This study investigates the environmentally relevant photodegradation of common MPFs: polyester (PET), polyamide (PA) and...

Microplastic (MP) pollution is attracting growing global attention, but little is known about the factors influencing MP occurrence and distributions in marine sediments. Here, MPs were sampled from the sediments of two semi-enclosed bays (Jinghai Bay and Laizhou Bay) and two coastal open zones...

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as an important route of microplastics (MPs) to the environment. Therefore, more effective MPs sampling and detection methodologies, as well as a better understanding of their influence on MPs occurrence and distributions in WWTP effluents, are needed for...

The MICROFIBRE project integrates natural sciences and social sciences to assess and reduce emissions of microplastic fibres to the environment. We have engaged relevant stakeholders in a combined participatory modelling approach using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping and Scenario Development to identify key...

Microplastics pollution of terrestrial and marine environmental compartments is an issue of concern worldwide, but information on the key sources, pathways, distribution and impacts is still scarce in many cases, fragmentary at best and typically difficult to compare owing to a lack of harmonisation...

Microplastic pollution has been reported in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, from the sea surface to sediments, from beaches to the deep sea, from lakes to rivers, from the tropics to the poles, and in a wide range of organisms representing different trophic levels. Our current...

Microplastic fibers (MPFs) from textiles significantly contribute to the microplastic (MP) load in many environmental matrices and have been shown to negatively impact the organisms therein. Most fate and effect studies to date rely on pristine reference MP materials that have limited relevance...

A high proportion of the total microplastic (MP) load in the marine environment has been identified as microfibers (MFs), with polyester (PET) and polyamide (PA) typically found in the highest abundance. The potential for negative environmental impacts from MPs may be dependent on their degree of...

The ubiquitous pollution of the environment with microplastics - a diverse suite of contaminants - is of growing concern for science and currently receives considerable public, political, and academic attention. The potential impact of microplastics in the environment has prompted a great deal of...