Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.

Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made

Plastics in the marine environment have become a major concern because of their persistence at sea, and adverse consequences to marine life and potentially human health. Implementing mitigation strategies requires an understanding and quantification of marine plastic sources, taking spatial and temporal variability into account. Here we present a global model of plastic inputs from rivers into oceans based on waste management, population density and hydrological information. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature. We estimate that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste currently enters the ocean every year from rivers, with over 74% of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, mostly located in Asia, account for 67% of the global total. The findings of this study provide baseline data for ocean plastic mass balance exercises, and assist in prioritizing future plastic debris monitoring and mitigation strategies. Rivers provide a major pathway for ocean plastic waste, but effective mitigation is dependent on a quantification of active sources. Here, the authors present a global model of riverine plastic inputs, and estimate annual plastic waste of almost 2.5 million tonnes, with 86% sourced from Asia.

/pdf/river-plastic-emissions-to-the-world-s-oceans-2yzs8o2tlv.pdf

River plastic emissions to the world's oceans.

https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item%3A2978611/view

Microplastics in freshwater and terrestrial environments: Evaluating the current understanding to identify the knowledge gaps and future research priorities.

Microplastics are a pollutant of environmental concern Their presence in food destined for human consumption and in air samples has been reported Thus, microplastic exposure via diet or inhalation could occur, the human health effects of which are unknown The current review article draws upon cross-disciplinary scientific literature to discuss and evaluate the potential human health impacts of microplastics and outlines urgent areas for future research Key literature up to September 2016 relating to accumulation, particle toxicity, and chemical and microbial contaminants was critically examined Although microplastics and human health is an emerging field, complementary existing fields indicate potential particle, chemical and microbial hazards If inhaled or ingested, microplastics may accumulate and exert localized particle toxicity by inducing or enhancing an immune response Chemical toxicity could occur due to the localized leaching of component monomers, endogenous additives, and adsorbed enviro

Plastic and Human Health: A Micro Issue?

Plastic litter is widely acknowledged as a global environmental threat, and poor management and disposal lead to increasing levels in the environment. Of recent concern is the degradation of plastics from macro- to micro- and even to nanosized particles smaller than 100 nm in size. At the nanoscale, plastics are difficult to detect and can be transported in air, soil, and water compartments. While the impact of plastic debris on marine and fresh waters and organisms has been studied, the loads, transformations, transport, and fate of plastics in terrestrial and subsurface environments are largely overlooked. In this Critical Review, we first present estimated loads of plastics in different environmental compartments. We also provide a critical review of the current knowledge vis-a-vis nanoplastic (NP) and microplastic (MP) aggregation, deposition, and contaminant cotransport in the environment. Important factors that affect aggregation and deposition in natural subsurface environments are identified and c...

/pdf/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-in-aquatic-environments-151u4ngf12.pdf

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Aggregation, Deposition, and Enhanced Contaminant Transport

https://hal-enpc.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01251430/document

Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of microplastics in the environment?

This study investigates the microplastic contamination of both urban compartments (wastewater and total atmospheric fallout) and surface water in a continental environment (Greater Paris, France). These first investigations on urban environment confirm the presence of microplastics in sewage, freshwater and total atmospheric fallout and provide knowledge on the type and size distribution of microplastics in the [100 µm-5 000 µm] range. For the first time, the presence of microplastics, mostly fibers, is highlighted in total atmospheric fallout (29-280 particles/m2/day). High levels of fibers were found in wastewater (260-320 x103 particles/m3). In treated effluent, the contamination significantly decreases to 14-50 x103 particles/m3. In River Seine, two sampling devices are used to collect both large and small microplastic particles: i) a plankton net (80 µm mesh) and ii) a manta trawl (330 µm mesh). Sampling with the plankton net showed a predominance of fibers with concentrations ranging from 3 to 108 particles/m3. A greater diversity of both microplastic shapes and types was encountered during manta trawl sampling but at much lower concentrations (0.28-0.47 particles/m3). This combined approach could be relevant and implemented in future studies to provide an accurate overview of microplastic distribution in freshwater.

/pdf/microplastic-contamination-in-an-urban-area-a-case-study-in-1tzgf21ykv.pdf

Microplastic contamination in an urban area: a case study in Greater Paris

https://hal-enpc.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01418927/document

A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments.

https://hal-enpc.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01665768/document

Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in?

Massive accumulation of plastic particles has been reported for marine ecosystems around the world,
posing a risk to the biota. Freshwater ecosystems have received less attention despite the majority of
plastic litter being produced onshore and introduced into marine environments by rivers. Some
studies report not only the presence of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems, but show that
contamination is as severe as in the oceans. In continental waters microplastics have been observed
in both sediments (predominantly lakeshores but also riverbanks) and water samples (predominantly
surface water of lakes and rivers). This review highlights recent findings and discusses open
questions, focusing on the methodology of assessing this contaminant in freshwater ecosystems. In
this context, method harmonization is needed in order to obtain comparable data from different
environmental compartments and sites. This includes sampling strategies (at spatial and temporal
18 scales), sample treatment (taking into consideration high levels of organic matter and suspended
19 solids) and reliable analytical methods to identify microplastics.

/pdf/beyond-the-ocean-contamination-of-freshwater-ecosystems-with-4ksw9qg86w.pdf

Rachid Dris

Papers

Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of microplastics in the environment?

Microplastic contamination in an urban area: a case study in Greater Paris

A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments.

Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in?

Beyond the ocean : Contamination of freshwater ecosystems with (micro-) plastic particles