Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) distribution in the geospheric environment.

Plastics (fig. 1) have leaked into the environment owing to the illegal dumping of garbage, river flooding, and plastic use for agricultural and architectural engineering purposes. Nanoplastics (NPs) are produced when microplastics (MPs) deteriorate and wear out. MPs have also been reported in groundwater, indicating their presence at various levels in the geo-environment.

MPs and NPs are increasingly recognized as an emerging threat by the human intake through soil and groundwater. MPs and NPs can adsorb contaminants and become contaminant carriers. Therefore, the distribution and movement behaviors of MPs and NPs in a geospheric environment should be clarified for MP and NP risk assessment. We are developing novel methods for measuring the MPs and NPs content in soil, investigating their distribution in the geospheric environment, elucidating their migration behaviors, and evaluating the adsorption of contaminants to MPs and NPs. The results were widely presented including international journals and conferences and international meetings. Further researches to contribute the risk MP and NP risk assessment are ongoing.