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Cited by 1,258Microplastics and Plastic PollutionPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Rethinking microplastics as a diverse contaminant suite

Rochman, Chelsea M., Brookson, Cole, Bikker, Jacqueline, Djuric, Natasha, Earn, Arielle, Bucci, Kennedy, Athey, Samantha, Huntington, Aimee +22 more·2019·Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
DOI 10.1002/etc.4371
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Abstract

Microplastics are not microplastics are not microplastics, just like pesticides are not pesticides are not pesticides. "Microplastics," like other classes of chemical contaminants, is a catch-all term for a variety of unique chemical compounds. Yet, many scientific publications, policy reports, and media articles present microplastics as if they are simply a single compound or type of material. Such simple communications have consequences, leading to simplified studies and protocols that may be inadequate to inform us of the sources and fate of microplastics, as well as their biological and ecological implications. For example, studying the fate and effects of one plastic type with a specific shape and size does not tell us the fate and effects of microplastics in general. Moreover, not recognizing the diversity of materials in a microplastics sample may overlook the complexity necessary to inform robust quality analysis and quality control (QA/QC) needed in sampling and analytical measurement techniques. For instance, some methods are better at recovering specific sizes, shapes, or types of microplastics. Simplifying microplastics as a single compound has also led to confusion around the need for new policies and strategies to reduce future emissions of microplastics. For example, some policymakers and scientists are under the impression that banning microbeads from rinse-off personal care products has eliminated future releases of microplastics in general to the environment. In reality, such bans eliminate only one source of the diverse and complex emerging global contaminant suite that is "microplastics." This can be compared to banning one specific use of a pesticide (e.g., in the home), leaving the market full of other applications of diverse pesticides that need to continue to be assessed for environmental persistence, bioavailability, and toxicity. In our Focus article, we make the case that it is necessary to rethink microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm in size) and consider them a suite or class of contaminants, in the same way we do for pesticides, trace metals, or flame retardants. Microplastics are diverse; they come from many different product types; incorporate a broad range of sizes, colors, and morphologies; are composed of various polymers; and include a broad array of chemical additives (Figure 1 and Textboxes 1 and 2). This diversity is important to consider, and thinking of them like we do other classes of contaminants may help us advance methods for sampling and analysis and help us better understand the sources from which they enter the environment; their fate in water, sediment, and organisms; their toxicity; and relevant policies for mitigation. Just like pesticides are made of diverse molecules, have varying molecular structures, and can be used for a variety of applications (e.g., fungicides, herbicides), microplastics are made from diverse molecules, have varying molecular structures, and come from products with various applications (e.g., tires, textiles, and packaging). What is unique to pesticides and other chemical contaminants is that microplastics are particles, comprising different sizes, shapes, and colors. Microplastic particles are not simply "microplastic" but a diverse suite of contaminants that we refer to as "microplastics." As a contaminant class, microplastics come from a large diversity of product types and are generally classified as either primary or secondary. Primary microplastics are manufactured to be <5 mm in size. They include preproduction pellets used to make plastic products and microbeads used as abrasives for industrial purposes or in personal care products. Secondary microplastics are small pieces of plastic which are not produced intentionally but instead are the result of the breakup and fragmentation of larger plastic items via biological, physical, and chemical processes. Secondary microplastics can form during product use (e.g., microfibers shed from clothing during washing or tire wear particles) or once released into the environment (e.g., via fragmentation). Fragmentation is mediated by the polymer type and environmental conditions, which can be highly variable (Sivan 2011; Gewert et al. 2015). Microplastics can be a by-product of many plastic products, including construction materials, agricultural materials, furniture, clothing, and food packaging (Figure 1). Microplastics encompass a broad range of sizes. Most often, they are defined as any plastic particle <5 mm in one dimension as defined by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (Figure 1). Others argue for size categorization that matches the metric system (e.g., 1–999 μm are microplastics). However, there is generally no lower limit, and nano-sized plastics (<0.1 μm) are often included in this definition. The way that discrete sizes and ranges of size are reported among researchers varies. For example, researchers may use multiple grades of sieves to size-fractionate

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Authors
Rochman, C. M., Brookson, C., Bikker, J., Djuric, N., Earn, A., Bucci, K., Athey, S., Huntington, A., McIlwraith, H., Munno, K., De Frond, H., Kolomijeca, A., Erdle, L., Grbic, J., Bayoumi, M., Borrelle, S. B., Wu, T., Santoro, S., Werbowski, L. M., Zhu, X., Giles, R. K., Hamilton, B. M., Thaysen, C., Kaura, A., Klasios, N., Ead, L., Kim, J., Sherlock, C., Ho, A., & Hung, C.
Affiliations
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto St. George Campus Toronto Ontario Canada
Corresponding author
Rochman, Chelsea M.
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2019-04-01
Volume
38
Issue
4
Pages
703-711
ISSN
  • 0730-7268 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-8618
DOI
10.1002/etc.4371
OpenAlex
W2924663053
Cited by
1,258
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 177 · 2025: 210 · 2024: 201 · 2023: 197 · 2022: 191 · 2021: 156 · 2020: 97 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 1
FWCI
35.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
Keywords
microplastics, microplastic diversity, polymer types, chemical additives, quality assurance and quality control, microplastic toxicity, emerging contaminants, microplastic size and shape, microplastic chemical composition

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