COVID-19 pandemic repercussions on plastic and antiviral polymeric textile causing pollution on beaches and coasts of South America.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been extensively used in microplastic (MP) pollution research since 2004. The aim of this review is to discuss and highlight the recent advances i...

Contributions of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in microplastic pollution research: A review

Microplastics are the major environmental health hazards spotted in almost all the marine habitats and biota of world. The earlier research on microplastics have mainly focused on studying abundance and distribution as well as impacts on organisms, while the existing review articles have reviewed on any one of the above aspects or the environmental fate of microplastics. The current review focuses on all the above facets thereby bringing out the incompleteness in information globally in the respective facets. Our findings suggest that among 192 countries of the world, only 22.9% (44) of the countries have carried out research regarding microplastics, while impacts on organisms have mostly targeted fish (38%), whereas studies on other highly affected organisms such as turtles (1%) are not well documented. Therefore, we suggest expanding research in all the above aspects of microplastics considering that there are several pristine marine environments and organisms that are yet unexplored. Quantifying research in these regards would enable to propose a microplastic threshold level and formulate control measures to reduce the use of plastics and its subsequent threat to the marine environment.

Andrés F. Granados-Briceño

Papers

Marine litter and microplastic pollution on mangrove soils of the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean.