Mikroplastik in der aquatischen Umwelt - Ein Beitrag zur aktuellen Diskussion in Deutschland

Plastics are important materials in households and industry and therefore a crucial part of our everyday life. Since the beginning of the 1970s the occurrence of plastic particles in coastal waters has been explicitly described. Meanwhile, besides the marine environment, microplastics were also detected in other environmental media, biota and water management facilities. This work gives an overview of the occurrence and first known effects of microplastics in the environment. Furthermore, current scientific proceedings are considered and pending issues are discussed. In this regard it is of central importance to develop an environmentally comprehensive, harmonized scientific proceeding for miroplastics, which enables an evaluation of relevant material flows in adaption to necessary assessment concepts.