Research tendency of microplastics and nanoplastics based on bibliometric analysis and perspective of the influence of human health

Abstract

Plastic microparticles are pollutants that have been proven to cause serious harm to human health and the environment. Using the core data set of Web of Science (WoSCC), this study analyzes the spatial and temporal distribution of 7,076 relevant articles on microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics published from 2004 to 2021. The visualization software CiteSpace 5.8.R3 was used to analyze the research status and emerging trends in this field. The results show that MPs and nanoplastics are important research hotspots for environmental pollution and biological toxicity, with research carried out mainly in the fields of environmental science, material science, and toxicology. Research on the impact of MPs and nanoplastics on human health is still in its infancy.