The DOI matches its Crossref record; 180 of the 182 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Updated review on microplastics in water, their occurrence, detection, measurement, environmental pollution, and the need for regulatory standards
Abstract
The gravity of the impending threats posed by microplastics (MPs) pollution in the environment cannot be over-emphasized. Several research studies continue to stress how important it is to curb the proliferation of these small plastic particles with different physical and chemical properties, especially in aquatic environments. While several works on how to monitor, detect and remove MPs from the aquatic environment have been published, there is still a lack of explicit regulatory framework for mitigation of MPs globally. A critical review that summarizes recent advances in MPs research and emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks devoted to MPs is presented in this paper. These frameworks suggested in this paper may be useful for reducing the proliferation of MPs in the environment. Based on all reviewed studies related to MPs research, we discussed the occurrence of MPs by identifying the major types and sources of MPs in water bodies; examined the recent ways of detecting, monitoring, and measuring MPs routinely to minimize projected risks; and proposed recommendations for consensus regulatory actions that will be effective for MPs mitigation.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Microplastics have been widely found in human foods (50), drinks (51), and product packaging (52–55), among which bottled water is of particular interest for being an important source of microplastics to be ingested in daily life (56–59).”
From Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy (2024) · cites this paper as [58]
In the citing paper
“which is two to three orders of magnitude more than the previously reported results merely focusing on large microplastics (SI Appendix, Table S4) (58, 59, 61, 69, 70).”
From Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy (2024) · cites this paper as [58]
Citations
Cites
Lost at sea: where is all the plastic?
Thompson, R. C., Olsen, Y., Mitchell, R. P., Davis, A., Rowland, S. J., John, A. W. G., McGonigle, D., & Russell, A. E. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1094559 · Cited by 7,765
Hidalgo-Ruz, V., Gutow, L., Thompson, R. C., & Thiel, M. (2012) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es2031505 · Cited by 5,440
Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks
Browne, M. A., Crump, P., Niven, S. J., Teuten, E. L., Tonkin, A., Galloway, T. S., & Thompson, R. C. (2011) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es201811s · Cited by 4,838
Bergmann, M., Gutow, L., & Klages, M. (2015) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16510-3 · Cited by 3,513
Hartmann, N. B., Hüffer, T., Thompson, R. C., Hassellöv, M., Verschoor, A., Daugaard, A. E., Rist, S., Karlsson, T., Brennholt, N., Cole, M., et al. (2019) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b05297 · Cited by 2,881
Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible human health effects
Prata, J. C., da Costa, J. P., Lopes, I., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. (2020) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134455 · Cited by 2,690
Microplastics in Freshwaters and Drinking Water: Critical Review and Assessment of Data Quality
Koelmans, A. A., Mohamed Nor, N. H., Hermsen, E., Kooi, M., Mintenig, S. M., & De France, J. (2019) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2019.02.054 · Cited by 2,535
Li, J., Liu, H., & Chen, J. P. (2017) · Water Research · doi:10.1016/j.watres.2017.12.056 · Cited by 2,432
Campanale, C., Massarelli, C., Savino, I., Locaputo, V., & Uricchio, V. F. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17041212 · Cited by 2,122
Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health
Smith, M. P., Love, D. C., Rochman, C. M., & Neff, R. (2018) · Current Environmental Health Reports · doi:10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z · Cited by 2,048
Research works printed but not linked: 25
- Ahmad, 2020, Abu Dhabi to be free of single-use plastic bags by 2021, Gulf News
- Benson, 2013, EPA national trash free waters program, in: U.S. Environmental protection agency (EPA) presentation at Virginia marine debris summit. Washington DC
- Bergmann, 2015, Sources and pathways of microplastics to habitats, library.oapen.org
- Bhattacharya, 2016, A review on the impacts of microplastic beads used in cosmetics, Acta Biomed. Sci., 3, 47
- 2017, The environmental protection (microbeads) (England) regulations
- California Water Boards, 2020, State Water Board addresses microplastics in drinking water to encourage public water system awareness
- Dan, 2017, 2018 Text - S.756–75115th Congress Save our seas act of 2018
- Dobush, 2019, Microplastic polluting rivers and seas across the globe, says new research. Fortune
- Dunham, 2015, World's oceans clogged by millions of tons of plastic trash, Scientific American
- Espinosa, 2018, In vitro effects of virgin microplastics on fish head-kidney leucocyte activities, Environmental Pollution 235, 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.054 · DOI
- European Chemicals Agency, 2019, ECHA proposes to restrict intentionally added microplastics
- European Commission, 2020, First circular economy action plan
- Leslie, 2014, Review of microplastics in cosmetics, IVM institute for environmental studies
- Magnusson, 2016, Swedish sources and pathways for microplastics to the marine environment A review of existing data, ivl.se
- Marson, 2021, Life Cycle Assess. Polyurethane Foams Polyols Obtain. Chem. Recycl., 6, 1718
- Morris and Chapman, 2015, “Marine litter”, “green facts: facts on health and the environment”, 2001-2015
- Oßmann, 2018, Small-sized microplastics and pigmented particles in bottled mineral water, Water Res., 141, 307, 10.1016/j.watres.2018.05.027 · DOI · Paper page
- Prata, 2019, Solutions and integrated strategies for the control and mitigation of plastic and microplastic pollution, Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health, 16
- 2018, “Global microplastics initiative.”
- Strand, 2018, AU scientifi c report from DCE-Danish centre for environment and energy ANALYSIS OF MICROPLASTIC PARTICLES IN Danish DRINKING WATER
- The Japan Times, 2018, Bill to reduce microplastics released into the environment passed by Japan's Upper House
- United States Public Law by 114th Congress, 2015, Microbead-Free waters act
- Verschoor, 2014, Quick scan and prioritization of microplastic sources and emissions, Rivm, 1
- Viršek, 2017, Microplastics as a vector for the transport of the bacterial fish pathogen species Aeromonas salmonicida, Mar. Pollut. Bull., 125, 301, 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.024 · DOI
- Wagner, 2018, Freshwater microplastics the handbook of environmental chemistry 58 series editors: damià barceló · andrey G. Kostianoy
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–140 of 140
Potential Environmental Contamination by Microplastics
Mishra, A., Tripathi, P., & Singh, R. S. (2025) · Environmental science and engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-76949-8_2 · Cited by 3
Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Microplastics in Tap Water Supply Network in Iran
Sharifi, H., Attar, H. M., & Mohammadi, F. (2024) · Health Scope · doi:10.5812/healthscope-148134 · Cited by 5
Interactions between microplastics and primary producers in aquatic ecosystems
Kalčíková, G., Rozman, U., & Polechońska, L. (2023) · Advances in chemical pollution, environmental management and protection · doi:10.1016/bs.apmp.2023.06.002 · Cited by 3
Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in Food Chains and Health Risks
Saxena, R., Sharma, A., Srivastava, V., & Bharti, D. (2024) · Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3693-1618-4.ch012 · Cited by 3
Effects of Pesticides and Plastics on Soil Microbiome
Chakraborty, A., Verma, P., & Mondal, S. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-71844-1_12 · Cited by 2
Khodadadian, E., Goldoni, D., Nicolini, J., Khodadadian, A., Heitzinger, C., & Selmi, L. (2025) · Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.engappai.2025.111679 · Cited by 2
Hasnain, M., Ali, F., Hira, I., Zainab, R., Shanableh, A., & Abideen, Z. (2025) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2025.122572 · Cited by 2
Arahman, N., Anwar, F., Aulia, M. P., Rosnelly, C. M., & Ramli, I. (2025) · International Journal of Engineering · doi:10.5829/ije.2026.39.06c.05 · Cited by 2
Gastric lavage may not be representative of total microplastic ingestion for a wild passerine bird
Andringa, R. K., Bruni, N. A., Smith, J. A., Prestridge, H. L., Thornton, R., & Grace, J. K. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0334891 · Cited by 2
Kumar, C., Goel, N., Singh, H., Sahu, S., Jain, A., Arya, S. K., & Khatri, M. (2026) · Journal of Applied Toxicology · doi:10.1002/jat.70105 · Cited by 2
Potential synergistic effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cadmium toxicity to Sedum alfredii Hance
Li, Y., Cheng, H., Wang, Y., Lv, Y., Ning, R., Zhang, H., Wang, Q., & Liu, N. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0344578 · Cited by 2
Mathew, J., Li, Y., Das, R. K., Suehring, R., Morin, S., Rezai, P., & Brar, S. K. (2026) · Talanta · doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2026.129839 · Cited by 2
Goldoni, D., Rovati, L. L., & Selmi, L. (2024) · Proceedings of IEEE Sensors/Proceedings of IEEE Sensors ... · doi:10.1109/sensors60989.2024.10784490 · Cited by 2
The Dynamics of Buoyant Microplastic in the Ocean Forced by Unsteady Insolation
Kreczak, H., Higgins, R., & Willmott, A. J. (2023) · Journal of Marine Science and Engineering · doi:10.3390/jmse11071402 · Cited by 2
Sensors in the Marine Environments and Pollutant Identifications and Controversies
Harod, M. (2024) · Advances in environmental engineering and green technologies book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3693-1930-7.ch008 · Cited by 2
Derbalah, A. S. H., & Takeda, K. (2025) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/s11270-025-08466-1 · Cited by 1
Syed, I. B., Krishna, R. S., Sundaram, B., Banavathu, N. R., & Yuvaraj, S. (2025) · AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications · doi:10.1016/j.aeue.2025.156094 · Cited by 1
ShafieiDarabi, M., Yazdanicherati, A., Abbasi, Z., & Ren, C. L. (2025) · Digest - IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. International Symposium · doi:10.1109/ap-s/cnc-usnc-ursi55537.2025.11266665 · Cited by 1
Measurement of microflow rates using atomic force microscopy with a long-needle probe
Sun, Z., Liu, Z., & Sun, Z. (2024) · Measurement · doi:10.1016/j.measurement.2024.115684 · Cited by 1
Shahzad, M. M., Karim, A., Yasin, F., Latif, F., Umer, M. A., Abbas, W., Khan, M. A., & Usman, M. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-94480-2_10 · Cited by 1
Legal Framework of Land Engineering: Compliance with Environmental Regulations to Reduce Pollution
Du, X. (2024) · EAI Endorsed Transactions on Energy Web · doi:10.4108/ew.5762 · Cited by 1
Revisión sistemática de microplásticos: métodos analíticos en suelo y agua
Velasco, J. J. C., Puentes, R., Solarte, D. M. M., & Hoyos, A. A. (2024) · Revista Novedades Colombianas · doi:10.47374/novcol.2024.v19.2406 · Cited by 1
Advanced Techniques for Sampling, Quantification, and Characterization of Microplastics
Dhanasinghe, C., Kao, C., Liu, P.-F., Surampalli, R. Y., Zhang, T. C., & Al‐Hashimi, B. M. (2025) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781394251100.ch4 · Cited by 1
Czapski, J. (2023) · Prawne Problemy Górnictwa i Ochrony Środowiska · doi:10.31261/ppgos.2023.02.08
Sampling and Processing of Microplastics from Water
Husien, S., Mahmoud, A. E. D., Ashour, G., Singh, S., Aguilar-Marcelino, L., Ramamurthy, P. C., & Shehata, N. (2024) · ACS symposium series · doi:10.1021/bk-2024-1482.ch002
Occurrence, Fate, and Treatment of Micro/Nano Plastics in Drinking Water Sources
Bekaroglu, S. S. K., Civelekoglu, G., & Ateş, N. (2024) · Water and waste water management · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-72589-0_17
PVA-GO Membrane for the Treatment of Microplastics in Wastewater
Vijayashanthy, S., Nisha, K., Kishore, M., & Shifaque, A. M. F. M. R. (2024) · Springer Proceedings in Materials · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-7071-7_32
Pires, D. P., Carissimi, É., & Silvestri, S. (2024) · Water and waste water management · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-62054-6_6
Zuo, Y., Ma, L., Liu, Z., Li, S., Zhang, Z., & Yu, J. (2025) · Israeli Journal of Aquaculture - Bamidgeh · doi:10.46989/001c.147518
Recent Advances in Water Treatment Using Carbon Dots: A Comprehensive Review
Ashwini, V., Rathinasabapathy, R., & Selvakumar, P. (2026) · Scientiae Radices · doi:10.58332/scirad2026v5i1a04
Feng, D., Ji, C., Huang, W., Sun, F., & Wang, Y. (2026) · Textile Research Journal · doi:10.1177/00405175251411852
Contaminación por residuos sólidos y el derecho a la salud en Lima, 2026
Yucra-Ramos, C., Albines-Sernaque, L. M., Chinchay, L. R. M., Chaccara-Contreras, V., & Chirinos, H. L. H. (2026) · Prohominum · doi:10.47606/acven/ph0501
Chinchay, L. R. M., Chaccara-Contreras, V., Rodas-Camacho, L., & Trujillo, Y. E. P. (2026) · Revista Kawsaypacha Sociedad y Medio Ambiente · doi:10.18800/kawsaypacha.202601.a015
Machine Learning-Assisted Microwave-Microfluidic Platform for Microplastic Detection
ShafieiDarabi, M., Yazdanicherati, A., Giri, N. V., Bhatti, S., Li, S., Cappellen, P. V., Abbasi, Z., & Ren, C. L. (2026) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.6c06373
Quantification and exposure assessment of microplastics in water used for infant feeding
Kadac-Czapska, K., Gadomska, K., Szefer, P., & Grembecka, M. (2026) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2026.124340
Emerging Contaminants in Arabian Gulf Water: Occurrence, Risks, and Management Strategies
Rasool, K., Yasi, H. S. A., Krishnankutty, A. K., Saththasivam, J., El-Malah, S. S., Wahib, S. A., Aktar, M. W., Wada, O. Z., Ben‐Hamadou, R., Aris, A. Z., et al. (2026) · Water · doi:10.3390/w18151856
Kadac-Czapska, K., & Grembecka, M. (2026) · Beer in Health and Disease Prevention · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-22332-7.00029-5
Interaction of Microplastics, Plants, and Rhizosphere: A Critical Review
Guo, Y., Zhang, D., Li, W., Zhao, Y., Su, W., Xing, Y., Hong, C., Wang, J., Cui, Y., Zhang, H., et al. (2026) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules31173028
Evaluating factors affecting microplastic removal from synthetic leachate using electrocoagulation
Al-Dawood, Z., Tarnini, A. B., Mortula, M. M., & Fattah, K. P. (2026) · Results in Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.rineng.2026.112923
Shaikh, A., Hasan, M., Hossen, R., Islam, J., Boishakhi, T. H., Hasan, R., Khatun, M., Begum, F., Chakraborty, T. K., & Ghosh, G. C. (2026) · Emerging contaminants · doi:10.1016/j.emcon.2026.100750
Metadata
- Authors
- Yusuf, A., Sodiq, A., Giwa, A., Eke, J., Pikuda, O., Eniola, J. O., Ajiwokewu, B., Sambudi, N. S., & Bilad, M. R.
- Affiliations
- Khalifa University of Science and Technology (AE)
- Hamad bin Khalifa University (QA)
- University of Kentucky (US)
- McGill University (CA)
- United Arab Emirates University (AE)
- Universiti Teknologi Petronas (MY)
- Universiti Brunei Darussalam (BN)
- Corresponding author
- Giwa, Adewale
- ORCID
- Venue
- Environmental Pollution
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-01
- Volume
- 292
- Issue
- Pt B
- Pages
- 118421
- ISSN
- 0269-7491 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3210068001
- Cited by
- 138
- References
- 182
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 17
- FWCI
- 1.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Environmental Pollution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation
- Keywords
- microplastics, aquatic environment, microplastic detection, microplastic monitoring, microplastic removal, microplastic sources, microplastic types, regulatory framework, microplastic mitigation, water pollution
- MeSH terms
- Microplastics, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Pollution, Plastics, Water, Water Pollutants, Chemical
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review