Cited by 338Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts

Microplastic fibers—Underestimated threat to aquatic organisms

Rebelein, Anja, Int-Veen, Ivo, Kammann, Ulrike, Scharsack, Jörn Peter·2021·Science of The Total Environment

Abstract

Awareness of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments increased strongly during the last decade. Environmental monitoring studies detected microplastic items in every tested water body and found them in various aquatic organisms. Yet, many studies conducted so far, refer to microplastic particles and spheres but not fibers. Microplastic fibers are often not considered due to methodological issues and high contamination risk during sampling and analysis. Only a few of the microplastic exposure studies with aquatic organisms were conducted with microplastic fibers. Recent effect studies demonstrated several negative impacts of microplastic fibers on aquatic organisms, which include tissue damage, reduced growth, and body condition and even mortality. Such negative effects were predominantly observed in taxa at the basis of the food chain. Higher taxa were less heavily affected in direct exposure experiments, but they presumably suffer from negative effects on organisms at lower food chain levels in the wild. Consequently, ongoing and future pollution with microplastic fibers may disturb the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The present review outlines the current state of knowledge on microplastic fiber abundance in nature, bioavailability, and impacts on aquatic animals. Based on these findings, we recommend inclusion of microplastic fibers in prospective monitoring studies, discuss appropriate methods, and propose to conduct exposure studies with - as well as risk assessments of - these underestimated pollutants.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146045

Cites

166 of 166 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Polyester microplastic fibers are one of the most dominant morphologies and polymer types found in the environment and within organisms.

    “We chose to investigate the effects of polyester microplastic fibers because they are one of the most dominant morphologies and polymer types found in the environment (Klasios & Tseng, 2023;Napper et al., 2023) and within organisms (Rebelein et al., 2021).”
  • Polyester microplastic fibers are one of the most commonly reported microplastic types documented in environments.

    “Polyester microplastic fibers, often sourced from synthetic textiles, are one of the most commonly reported microplastic types documented in environments (Burns & Boxall, 2018;Hernandez et al., 2017;Rebelein et al., 2021).”

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Authors
Rebelein, A., Int-Veen, I., Kammann, U., & Scharsack, J. P.
Affiliations
Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (DE)
Corresponding author
Rebelein, Anja
Venue
Science of The Total Environment
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-07
Volume
777
Pages
146045
ISSN
0048-9697 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3135815978
Cited by
338
References
166
Citations by year
2026: 43 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 78 · 2023: 64 · 2022: 66 · 2021: 18
FWCI
2.75
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • The Science of The Total Environment (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • OpenAgrar (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (2819108816)
  • Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
Keywords
microplastic fibers, aquatic organisms, microplastic pollution, bioavailability, ecotoxicological effects, food chain, microplastic monitoring, sample contamination, risk assessment, aquatic ecosystems
MeSH terms
Microplastics, Animals, Environmental Monitoring, Plastics, Prospective Studies, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Ecosystem, Aquatic Organisms

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