Microplastics in groundwater : a literature review

Attention on microplastic (MP) pollution has increased greatly over the past decade, particularly in aquatic systems such as the marine and freshwater environments, where publications focus on both sources and fates of MPs, as well as the ecological/toxicological impacts of their presence on organisms within those environments. Literature exploring the extent to which MPs occur and interact with groundwater systems, however, remains limited. Within this limited body of research an even smaller subsect of publications focussing on specific studies with experimental designs exist. The potential significance of MP occurrence in groundwater from a perspective of risks to drinking water supply, groundwater dependant ecosystems and their toxicological potential to be enhanced by their ability to vector both organic and heavy metal pollutants, is slowly becoming clearer as new research emerges, but more research is needed on this topic. Using the following keyword search terms (groundwater + microplastics + FTIR) and search engines such as google scholar and Web of Science, this short literature review identified groundwater studies alongside wider literature on MPs. It explores the methodological designs, limitations of sampling, isolation and analytical techniques employed and identifies aspects for consideration in future groundwater research on this topic.