Dear Colleagues,

Plastics are produced for a variety of applications. It has been estimated that plastics constitute about 80% of all marine litter. Marine plastics are land based (from urban and storm runoff, sewer overflows, beach visitors, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, construction and illegal dumping) and ocean based (from industry, nautical activities and aquaculture). The contamination of marine ecosystems by plastic litter may lead to marine pollution. It has been reported that plastic pollution in marine ecosystems is the most widespread problem affecting the marine environment. It threatens food safety and quality, and coastal tourism, and contributes to climate change. It also injures and kills marine life, interferes with navigation safety, and poses a threat to human health. It is known that much of the plastic litter in the ocean is abandoned fishing nets, which cause the death of marine life due to entanglement. Floating plastics contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems. Large plastics are photodegraded to microplastics (less than 5 mm in size). Microplastics can also be produced such as the microbeads found in several personal care products. The impact of microplastics on marine life is still under investigation, but it is known that they can come into direct contact with cell membranes, leading to significant stretching of the lipid bilayer that potentially leads to serious dysfunction of the cell. Microplastics have been found to concentrate organic pollutants from the aquatic environment. The ingestion of such microplastics by marine organisms may lead to the biomagnification of organic contaminants in the marine food web. The consumption of such seafood has been identified as a health hazard but has not yet been adequately researched. 

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge regarding pollution by marine litter and plastic pollution. New research papers, reviews, case reports and conference papers are welcome for this issue. Papers dealing with new approaches to removing or the risk assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution are also welcome. Methodological papers, position papers, brief reports, and commentaries will also be accepted.

Prof. Dr. Ali B. Ishaque
Guest Editor

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• marine litter
• plastic pollution
• habitat impacts
• chemical impacts
• biological impacts
• human impacts
• ingested plastic particles