Literature review of micro-plastics

1. Literature review
Microplastics in Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) from the Northern Bay of
Bengal
Inquisitor: Soliman Hossain
Research Student, Dept. of Oceanography, Noakhali Science and Technology University,
Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh, E-mail: soliman hossain.stud.ocn@nstu.edu.bd,
cell phone:01521437758
2nd Investigator: Azad Uddin Sojib
Research Student, Dept. of Oceanography, Noakhali Science and Technology University,
Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh, E-mail: azad uddin.stud.ocn@nstu.edu.bd;
sojibnstu7225@gmail.com ,cell phone: 01795343233 or 01521256121
Microplastics
Plastic is a general term for a range of polymer materials with different properties. Depending
on the requirements of the end product, these polymers are mixed with different additives to
enhance their performance (plasticizers, antioxidants, flame retardants, ultraviolet stabilizers,
lubricants, colorants). There are many types of plastics but five dominate the global
production: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, and polyethylene
terephthalate (GESAMP, 2015)
Microplastics are small particles and fibres of plastic. There is no recognised standard for the
maximum particle size but they are generally considered to be particles measuring less than 5
millimetres in diameter, a classification that includes nano-size plastics which are fragments
measuring less than 100 nanometres2 . They are largely classified by their morphological
characteristics: size, shape and colour. Size is in particular an important factor when studying
microplastics as it dictates the range of organisms it may affect (GESAMP, 2015).
The production of plastic has increased exponentially in the past decades as waste
management practice is inadequate in many parts of the world (Lusher et al. 2017a). Coastal
countries, in particular, generated about 275 million tons of plastic wastes, of which an
estimated 2-5% found their way into the oceans (Jambeck et al. 2015).
Due to their high persistence, marine plastic debris is expected to impact not only on the
organismal level but also some of ecosystem goods and services, including fisheries, tourism
and navigation, which could influence the economy and society negatively (CBD, 2016;
Guzzetti et al., 2018).
In the marine environment, plastic debris gradually fragments into smaller pieces through
weathering processes, i.e. photo-degradation, oxidation and mechanical abrasion (Andrady,
2011; Thompson et al., 2009) and plastic particles with a dimension of <5 mm are
called microplastics (GESAMP, 2015). Microplastics (MPs) also enter the environment from
various sources, including personal care and cosmetics products such as lotion, shampoo,
toothpaste, shower gel, lipstick, hair colouring, shaving cream, facial masks and eye shadow

2. (Fendall and Sewell, 2009), and from washing clothes (Browne et al., 2011).
MPs, which are hazardous to organisms as they can move through food webs (Ivar do Sul and
Costa, 2014), are detected in zooplankton (Botterell et al. 2019), bivalves (Li et al. 2018; Cho
et al. 2019), crustaceans (Devriese et al. 2015), corals (Hall et al. 2015), fishes (Ory et al.
2018) and seabirds (Zhao et al. 2016; Amelineau et al. 2016) from different regions of the
world. Thus, microplastics are active components of trophic interactions that may accumulate
in greater concentrations in top predators like marine mammals (Deudero and Alomar, 2015)
and humans (Crawford and Quinn, 2017). Harmful effects of microplastics to organisms
include physiological injuries and inflammation, blockage of the digestive tract, alteration of
feeding and reproductive activity, reduction in survival rate of progeny, cellular toxicity and
decreased immune response (Cole et al., 2015; Prokić et al. 2019; Savoca et al. 2019;
Strungaru et al., 2019). However, the pathways of microplastics within marine food webs
need additional attention to advance our understanding.
Microplastics with high specific density tend to accumulate on the sea bottom (Andrady,
2011), while low-density items are dominant at the sea surface (Cózar et al., 2015). Thus,
fishes frequently consume microplastics through feeding in the water column (Boerger et al.
2010).
For instances, mesopelagic fishes in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre ingested plastic
fibres, filaments and films (Davison and Asch 2011). In addition, microplastics were reported
in 80% carangid fish (Decapterus muroadsi) from the South Pacific (Ory et al., 2017), 70%
anchovies (Engraulis japonicus) from Tokyo Bay (Tanaka and Takada, 2016), 40-50%
clupeid fishes (Sardina pilchardus, Clupea harengus and Engraulis encrasicolus) from the
Atlantic coast of France (Collard et al., 2017) and 37% fishes from the English Channel
(Lusher et al., 2013).
Once ingested by organisms, microplastics may pass through the gut or may be retained in
the digestive tract (Browne et al., 2008) with potential physical and chemical effects. It has
been suggested that fibres may block feeding appendages or hinder the passage of food
(Lusher et al. 2013), clog digestive systems (Gregory, 2009; Ryan et al., 2009) and may also
cause a false sense of satiation leading to decreased food consumption (Ryan, 1988).

3. References:
1. Andrady, A.L., 2011. Microplastics in the marine environment. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 62,
1596- 1605
2. Botterell, Z.L.R., Beaumont, N., Dorrington, T., Steinke, M., Thompson, R.C.,
Lindeque, P.K., 2019. Bioavailability and effects of microplastics on marine
zooplankton: A review. Environmental Pollution 245, 98-110.
3. Browne, M.A., Crump, P., Niven, S.J., Teuten, E., Tonkin, A., Galloway, T., et al.,
2011. Accumulation of microplastic on shorelines worldwide: sources and sinks.
Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 9175-9179.
4. CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), 2016. Marine Debris: Understanding,
Preventing and Mitigating the Significant Adverse Impacts on Marine and Coastal
Biodiversity. Technical Series No. 83.
5. Cole, M., Lindeque, P.K., Fileman, E.S., Halsband, C., Galloway, T.S., 2015. The
impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine
copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49,1130-1137.
6. Cózar, A., Sanz-Martín, M., Martí, E., González-Gordillo, J.I., Ubeda, B., Á. gálvez,
J., Irigoien, X., Duarte, C.M., 2015. Plastic accumulation in the mediterranean sea.
PLoS One 10, 1-12
7. Crawford CB, Quinn B, 2017. Microplastic Pollutants. Elsevier, Amsterdam,
Netherlands, 320 pp.
8. Deudero, S., Alomar, C., 2015. Mediterranean marine biodiversity under threat:
reviewing influence of marine litter on species. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 98(1-2), 58-68
9. Fendall, L.S., Sewell, M.A., 2009. Contributing to marine pollution by washing your
face: microplastics in facial cleansers. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 58, 1225-1228.
10. GESAMP, 2015. In: Kershaw, P.J. (Ed.), Sources, Fate and Effects of Microplastics
in the Marine Environment: a Global Assessment (Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 90), p.
96 (IMO/FAO/UNESCO_IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP/UNDP Joint Group
of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection).
11. Ivar do Sul, J.A.I., Costa, M.F., 2014. The present and future of microplastic pollution
in the marine environment. Environ. Pollut. 185, 352-364.
12. Jambeck, J.R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T.R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A.,
Narayan, R., Law, K.L., 2015. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science
(Wash. D C) 347, 768-771.
13. Li, J., Qu, X., Su, L., Zhang, W., Yang, D., Kolandhasamy, P., Li, D., Shi, H., 2016.
Microplastics in mussels along the coastal waters of China. Environ. Pollut. 214, 177-
184.
14. Lusher, A., Hollman, P., Mendoza-Hill, J., 2017a. Microplastics in fisheries and
aquaculture: Status of knowledge on their occurrence and implications for aquatic
organisms and food safety. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 615.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 147 pp.
15. Zhao, S., Zhu, L., Li, D., 2016. Microscopic anthropogenic litter in terrestrial birds
from Shangai, China: not only plastics but also natural fibers. Sci. Total Environ. 550,
1110- 1115.