The assessment of the sources, abundance and composition of microplastics (MPs) present in the environment is a significant challenge, as annually, hundreds of millions of plastics are produced and deposited in the environment, thus posing real threats. Hence, MPs are more frequently perceived as first-order environmental pollutants potentially harmful to the health of many groups of organisms. To explore the current knowledge in this field, we reviewed the scientific literature (published mostly in the last 20 years) focussing on the presence of MPs in water and sediments and their impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Chinese and US scientists play a leading role in this research field. The most commonly used methods of identification and quantification of synthetic polymer particles are Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy due to their high effectiveness. However, advances in measurement analytics have resulted in the constant development of more accurate methods of collecting and detecting MPs in environmental samples, necessitating the unification of these methods to develop standard analysis procedures. Our paper summarises the current knowledge about the sources, transport and circulation of MPs in the environment, based on methods used for identification of the compounds, starting from sample collection, detection and description to their quantification in water, sediments and biota of freshwater ecosystems. This holistic approach necessitates focusing research on the importance of MPs in the EcoHealth approach, examining the impact of changes in the global ecosystems on human health.

评估环境中存在的微塑料（MPs）的来源，丰度和组成是一项重大挑战，因为每年都有数亿种塑料在环境中生产和沉积，因此构成了真正的威胁。因此，国会议员被更频繁地视为一阶环境污染物，可能危害许多生物体的健康。为了探索该领域的当前知识，我们回顾了科学文献（主要在过去20年中发表），重点关注水和沉积物中MP的存在及其对水生生态系统的影响。中美科学家在这一研究领域中起着主导作用。鉴定和定量合成聚合物颗粒的最常用方法是傅立叶变换红外光谱和拉曼光谱，因为它们具有很高的效率。但是，测量分析技术的进步导致不断开发更准确的方法来收集和检测环境样品中的MP，因此必须统一使用这些方法来开发标准分析程序。本文基于用于化合物鉴定的方法，从样品的收集，检测和描述到其在淡水生态系统的水，沉积物和生物区系中的定量化，总结了有关环境中MP的来源，运输和循环的最新知识。