Plastic pollution is a globally recognized problem, with an estimated 322 million metric tons produced in 2016, excluding plastic fiber production. When evaluating the risks three main sources of microplastics (MPs) should be considered; polymer nanoparticles manufactured for specific purposes like cosmetic products, fragmentation of plastics caused by different types of degradation, and wastewater treatment plants that may discharge anywhere from 50,000 up to 15 million particles.

This collection of short review papers in the first Special Issue of Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health (COESH) presents new insights to better understand and solve the risk of microplastics for both the environment and human health.

We invite you to read these first articles which aim to stimulate scientifically grounded, interdisciplinary, multi-scale debate and exchange of ideas.

All articles in this volume are free to access online until 31 January 2019.

Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in?
Johnny Gasperi, Stephanie L. Wright, Rachid Dris, France Collard, Corinne Mandin, Mohamed Guerrouache, Valérie Langlois, Frank J. Kelly, Bruno Tassin

Fate and occurrence of micro(nano)plastics in soils: Knowledge gaps and possible risks
Rachel R. Hurley, Luca Nizzetto

Micro- and nanoplastics in the environment: Research and policymaking
João Pinto da Costa

Micro(nano)plastics: A threat to human health?
Messika Revel, Amélie Châtel, Catherine Mouneyrac

Microplastics in Polar Regions: The role of long range transport
Rachel W. Obbard

Biotechnology advances for dealing with environmental pollution by micro(nano)plastics: Lessons on theory and practices
Ana B. Silva, Monica F. Costa, Armando C. Duarte

“Sampling of micro(nano)plastics in environmental compartments: How to define standard procedures?”
Monica F. Costa, João Pinto da Costa, Armando C. Duarte

What we know and what we think we know about microplastic effects – A critical perspective
Martin Ogonowskia, Zandra Gerdesa, Elena Gorokhova

Micro(nanoplastics) in the marine environment: Current knowledge and gaps
Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, Hrissi Karapanagioti, Nancy Ramírez Álvarez

Analytical methodologies for monitoring micro(nano)plastics: Which are fit for purpose?
Gerrit Renner, Torsten C. Schmidt, Jürgen Schram