Environmental toxicity and ecological effects of micro(nano)plastics: A huge challenge posed by biodegradability

The ecological effects of micro(nano)plastics in the environment have attracted increasing attention and research from scholars around the world. This review focuses on the possible effects of micro(nano)plastics on animal, plant, microorganisms and even human from four perspectives, while the ecological effects of biodegradable micro(nano)plastics are also addressed. A review of existing studies indicates that although micro(nano)plastics may have direct or indirect effects on plant, animal, and microorganism, leading to instability in ecosystems and potentially affecting human health and survival, these effects remain somewhat uncertain. In addition, biodegradable micro(nano)plastics do not appear to be completely safe for organisms, and the ecological safety of them remains largely inconclusive and needs further accurate assessment. Therefore, based on the review of ecological effects of micro(nano)plastics, this study provides an outlook on the core topics of future research, including compounding effects, separation of nanoplastics (NPs), laying a certain foundation for future research.