The Toxicity of Microplastic Degradation Products to Plants and Terrestrial Organisms Following Composting

SETAC EU 2022 -- Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that pollute the environment. Microplastics are not a specific type of plastic, but rather any plastic fragment that is less than 5 mm in size. They enter the environment via many sources, including cosmetics, clothing, paints and industrial processes. Typical route of exposure is into rivers and oceans and into the food chain via fish. Other typical sources of environmental exposure can be from landfill or via the addition of soil amendments. Existing standardised methods can provide valuable information on the degradability potential of some microplastics. But, variations to existing methods are likely to be necessary to appropriately assess the degradability of microplastics in the environment.