Editorial: Microplastics in aquatic and biotic systems: environmental presence, health impacts, and management strategies
Abstract
primarily as an aesthetic nuisance associated with visible plastic debris; plastics are now known to breakdown into smaller particles, termed as microplastics, which circulate widely across aquatic systems and invade biological matrices. These contaminants, typically defined as plastic items smaller than 5 mm, are now detected from remote polar water bodies and mountain lakes to deep ocean sediments; and from drinking water, air, and soil to human One of the most pressing challenges in microplastic research is the lack of comprehensive regional assessments, particularly in developing regions where plastic consumption is rapidly increasing but environmental monitoring infrastructure remains limited.A research article in this collection addresses this gap by examining the distribution and ecological risk of microplastics in sediments along the Odisha coast, India. The study reveals pervasive microplastic contamination across all sampled sites, demonstrating that even relatively understudied coastal environments are heavily impacted. Moreover, accumulation of microplastics on sandy beaches was found to be governed by sediment grain size characteristics as well as the beach's proximity to human-derived pollution sources. Importantly, the study moves beyond simple occurrence data to evaluate ecological risks through multiple risk indices. Such assessments provide a crucial step toward translating environmental measurements into policy-relevant indicators. Coastal ecosystems act…
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