Special Issue "Ecotoxicological Impacts of Micro(Nano)plastics in the Environment: Biotic and Abiotic Interactions"

A special issue of Microplastics (ISSN 2673-8929).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Farhan R. Khan
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
Interests: ecotoxicology and ecophysiology; plastics, microplastic and nanoplastics; microplastic vector effects; bioaccumulation and toxicodynamic modelling; trace metals; engineered nanoparticles; ecotoxicology in the Anthropocene
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Miguel Oliveira
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: micro(nano)plastic behavior and effects; nanotoxicology; emerging contaminants; combined effects of xenobiotics; in vivo and in vitro systems; alternative methods in biological research
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tony Robert Walker
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Interests: plastic and microplastic pollution impacts in the environment; plastic and microplastic pollution monitoring; policy solutions to mitigate plastic and microplastic pollution
Dr. Cristina Panti
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental, Earth and Physical Sciences. University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: ecotoxicology; microplastics; marine litter; biological effects; ecotoxicological effects; emerging contaminants; plastic additives; molecular biology; biomarkers; endangered species; laboratory experiments
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Gary Hardiman
E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS), Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, UK
2. Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
Interests: computational biology; genomics and genetics; big data; endocrine disruption; contaminants of emerging concern; bisphenol A; impacts of MNPs on terrestrial and aquatic systems; bioplastics
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic pollution, encompassing all size ranges from macro- to nanoplastics, is an emerging threat and one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Plastics, particularly microplastics (<5 mm diameter), have attracted the attention of the public, governments, and scientists of numerous disciplines worldwide. The presence of microplastics has been documented in all parts of the environment—from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans—as well as in food consumed by humans. The interaction of microplastics with aquatic and terrestrial species has also been the focus of much research from both the field and in the laboratory. Research to date on the impacts of micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) has been primarily short-term laboratory exposures, often with a single type of plastic and at elevated concentrations compared with what is seen in the environment, which is not representative of real-world aquatic environments. Thus, key knowledge gaps persist regarding the outcomes of these interactions and the biological impacts of plastic exposure—both the direct exposure of plastic particles and indirect exposure to plastic associated chemicals such as those used in their synthesis or sorbed from the environment.

This Special Issue invites contributions covering all aspects resulting from the presence of plastics in the environment. We welcome papers that focus on the biological interactions and effects of plastics, including (i) field and laboratory studies with terrestrial and aquatic organisms, (ii) direct impact of micro(nano)plastic exposure resulting in molecular, biochemical, physiological or behavioral effects, (iii) indirect impacts resulting from the exposure to endogenous (additives) or exogenous (sorbed) chemicals via microplastics (i.e., Trojan horse or vector effects), (iv) ecological risk assessments and (v) human health concerns. Submissions are particularly welcome on emerging focus areas such as nanoplastics, bioplastics, fibers, and tire wear particles, as well as studies that use and characterize weathered or aged plastic particles. Authors are invited to submit original research papers, reviews, and short communications.

Dr. Farhan Khan
Dr. Miguel Oliveira
Prof. Dr. Tony Robert Walker
Dr. Cristina Panti
Prof. Dr. Gary Hardiman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microplastics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • macro-, meso-, micro-, and nanoplastics
  • oil-based polymers, bioplastics, tire wear particles
  • terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
  • direct impacts—ingestion and retention, blockage and attachment
  • indirect effects—vector effects, micro(nano)plastics as a chemical carrier, pollutant bioavailability
  • endogenous and exogenous chemicals
  • sorption, desorption, leaching, additives
  • toxicity and biological impacts
  • accumulation, distribution, and elimination
  • subcellular effects, biomarker responses, omic approaches
  • ecological risk assessment
  • human health

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
Back to TopTop