Impact of land use and other parameters on the presence of microplastics in soil and groundwater: a critical review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55407/rsge.105756Keywords:
microplastics, soils, land use, groundwater, critical reviewAbstract
Microplastics (MP) are one of the most ubiquitous forms of pollution on our planet. However, compared to marine ecosystems, lakes or rivers, few studies have studied their occurrence in soil and groundwater. To evaluate the impact of land use and other parameters on the presence of MP in both media, 56 cases of study associated with soils and 7 with groundwater have been extracted from the review of 41 publications. Overall, the need to establish a standardized methodology, during both the analysis and sampling, has been identified to make rigorous comparisons. On the other hand, a relationship between the pollution sources (point and/or diffuse) associated with land use and the presence of MP is evident in most of the publications reviewed, based on its quantity, predominant chemical composition, color or characteristic shape according to land use. For this reason, it is essential to continue studying the presence of MP in soils associated with all uses, as well as diversifying geographically its study and emphasizing it in groundwater.
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