DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v28i3.267

Keywords: Plastics, Microplastics, effects, environment, non-biodegradable

Abstract

The advent and utilization of plastics can be traced from the late nineteenth century when the first man-made plastic, termed Parkesine was developed by Alexander Parkes. Lesser did he know, despite the global and widespread longing for a plastic-free economy, plastics would become an inseparable component of almost every industry today. At this stage, we have brought to light the minute subsets of plastics, known as microplastics. As the term implies, microplastics are the tiny particles, or more appropriately, small fragments of plastic that originated from the disintegration of larger plastic objects, so tiny that they cannot even exceed the threshold of 5 millimetres. Sometimes, we deliberately produce small plastics such as abrasive powders deployed in industrial cleaning and call them primary microplastics while the secondary ones are a consequence of breakdown of larger plastic items due to various factors. Primarily contaminating soil, water bodies and the other components of the environment, microplastics are more of a hazard than an asset. Their non-biodegradable nature contributes to their adverse effects both on the surroundings and the living beings. They keep on accumulating in the environment, incorporating themselves into the food chain, soil and water leading to detrimental outcomes. Through this chapter, we would be uncovering what these microplastics really mean and the significance they hold around the globe. Additionally, we will be examining the dire and unfortunate results of the accumulation of these plastics in the ecosystem.