An overview of the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in multi-environmental components of Bangladesh.

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs), a novel form of pollution, have triggered concerns about environmental contamination worldwide and have become the focus of ongoing research. However, the lack of sufficient knowledge about the long-term impacts of MPs on Bangladesh's environment and public health inhibits the development of effective regulations and mitigating strategies. This study summarizes the sources, pathways, dispersion, and impacts of MPs in multi-environmental matrices of Bangladesh, where plastic pollution is becoming a crucial environmental problem. It assesses the existing knowledge regarding MPs in various environmental matrices, determines knowledge gaps for future research priorities, and proposes policy development for sustainable remediation. Articles regarding microplastic pollution in Bangladesh were identified through searches on various search engines using relevant keywords, resulting in 49 selected publications after filtering relevance and duplicates. The findings demonstrate that MPs in Bangladesh are predominantly fibers and fragments, originating from textile and packaging sources. The most prevalent polymers identified in Bangladesh's surface water, sediments, and biota were polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP). This review emphasizes the necessity of conducting in-depth investigations into the effects and fate of MPs, along with effective recycling and waste management techniques, to tackle this worldwide issue nationally.