Chronic toxicity of microplastics has lethal effects on common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1785)

Abstract

The 21 st century has seen the realization that people have overused plastic. Unfortunately, plastic pollution is a widespread environmental problem in many of the world's rivers and seas. Plastic litter is well distributed in shallow as well as in deep-waters, and therefore it is inevitably present in the world's ocean which is in turn the final sink of plastic debris of all sizes, alongside other various anthropogenic toxicants (for example, heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants). The negative effects of microplastics (MPs) which are produced by the breakdown of larger plastic debris on aquatic organisms, including both freshwater and marine fish have been already well documented. However, there is a gap in the knowledge from studies conducted in the field or under laboratory conditions in Bulgaria.

Keywords

• microplastics
• pollution
• negative effects
• fish
• bulgaria