Interaction of Microplastics and Heavy Metals: Toxicity, Mechanisms, and Environmental Implications

Abstract

With the wide use of plastic products in all aspects of life, more and more plastic ends up in the environment. Such plastic waste will gradually decompose, break up, and form smaller fragments through a series of physicochemical and biological processes. Among them, plastic fragments with particle size less than 5 mm are defined as microplastics (MPs). MPs have been reported to be widely distributed and to have the potential to adsorb other pollutants. Therefore, it is particularly important to evaluate the toxic effects of MPs in combination with other pollutants like metals. So far, studies on microplastic and metal toxicity have mainly focused on aquatic environments, while their impact on terrestrial ecosystems has been studied to a much lesser extent. In order to help our understanding of the ecological risk of MP on soil ecosystems, this chapter reviewed the interaction of MPs and metals on soil organisms.