The Risks of Microplastic Pollution in the Aquatic Ecosystem

Paul Agbekpornu and Isaac Kevudo

A chapter in Advances and Challenges in Microplastics from IntechOpen

Abstract: Microplastic pollution is a global issue that has a detrimental effect on the food chain in the marine ecosystem. They are found in their highest concentrations along coastal lines and within mid-ocean gyres. In marine environments, microplastics are a threat to marine organisms, as they are often in the same size range as prey and are mistaken as food. When ingested can have a deleterious range of effects on marine organisms, a process which may facilitate the transfer of chemical additives or hydrophobic waterborne pollutants to aquatic lives. In this chapter, we looked at the risk of microplastic pollution and its impact on marine organisms and humankind. The study shows that consumption of microplastics has led to ingestion of chemical toxins in aquatic fish, which leads to damage of digestive organs, choking of marine organisms, channel for the spread of microbes, and a reduction in growth and reproductive output. These threats increase the risk to aquatic fishes and human survival. Hence, the need to educate the public on the dangers of using products that pose an immediate and long-term threat to the marine ecosystem and the health of its organism, and the food we eat by marine scientists.

Keywords: microplastic pollution; marine ecosystem; food chain; aquatic; microbeads; cosmetics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q52 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ito:pchaps:286422

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.108717

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