Plastic additives and microplastics as emerging contaminants: Mechanisms and analytical assessment

Plastic additives comprise a plethora of substances that serve numerous purposes in the plastic industry. These can be used to assist the molding of plastics and can contribute to providing optimal performance to the material when molded and used, or, simply, to reduce costs. However, these additives, and nonpolymerized monomers, far more hazardous than their poly-counterparts, may be released throughout the entire life cycle of plastics, posing risks to the environment and, ultimately, human health. Hence, many studies have delved into the mechanistic uptake/release of these compounds. Herein, we briefly overview the current knowledge on the underlying processes affecting these mechanisms. We also outline the potential ecological consequences of these hazardous substances and explore some of the prevailing analytical methodologies used for their determination in both environment and laboratory studies. Furthermore, we highlight the key limitations of the currently available literature and present a prospective outlook for future research.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Plastic additives are a group of substances used in the plastic industry for various purposes. They can assist in molding plastics, improve performance, and reduce costs. However, these additives, along with nonpolymerized monomers, can be more hazardous and pose risks to the environment and human health. This article provides an overview of the mechanistic uptake/release of these compounds, discusses the potential ecological consequences, and explores analytical methodologies for their determination. It also highlights the limitations of current literature and presents future research prospects.