Sublethal effects

Are microplastics harmful?

Whether or not microplastics have harmful effects on plants and animals has not yet been conclusively established. This infografic summarises the current state of research on the topic.

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PLAWES

Microplastic Contamination in the Weser- Wadden Sea – National Park Model System: an Ecosystem-Wide Approach

September 2017

April 2021

In PLAWES, the modelling system of the German national park Weser-Wadden Sea was the first large European river basin that was investigated in detail regarding its microplastic pollution.

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Website

http://www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/PLAWES/en/

Project sheet

18_Projektblatt_PLAWES_ENG_2018.pdf

MikroPlaTas

Microplastics in Dams and Reservoirs: Sedimentation, Spread, Effects

January 2018

September 2021

The spread of microplastics in rivers showed that along a given waterway there are sources as well as sinks. Thus, dams and reservoirs constitute important but until now hardly investigated parts of a water system that serve as examples for risk vs. usefulness of sedimentation of microplastics.

Read more about MikroPlaTas

Website

https://www.uni-muenster.de/Mikroplatas/en/index.html

Project sheet

16_Projektblatt_MicroPlaTas_ENG_2018.pdf

SubμTrack

Tracking of (Sub)Microplastics of Different Identities - Innovative Analysis Tools for Toxicological and Process-engineering Evaluation

September 2017

June 2021

The methods currently available for the analysis of microplastics in environmental matrices were primarily designed for particles in the size range of 1 μm to 5 mm. Smaller particles below 1 μm were hardly detected. However in contrast to larger particles, these are able to enter cells and have a higher potential for adsorption of pollutants due to their relatively larger surface.