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Abstract

Microplastic includes all the types of plastics less than 5 mm. Due to this small size, it is difficult to estimate the exact amount of the microplastic wastes throughout the globe. Being small sized it gets mixed easily with the organic matter and consumed by the domestic animals and even by human from the marine animals like fishes. Microplastic is considered as the potential pollutant of marine environment with deteriorating effects on the marine biota. To study the effect of the microplastic on biota, several workers in different parts of the world conducted experiments to demonstrate the harmful impact of microplastic. In the present chapter, an attempt was made to enlist different types of microplastics, to discuss various sources of microplastic, and to highlight the negative impact of microplastic on both terrestrial and marine environment, followed by the measures to control and regulate the release of microplastic in the environment.

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Shahnawaz, M., Sangale, M.K., Ade, A.B. (2019). Microplastics. In: Bioremediation Technology for Plastic Waste. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7492-0_2

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