Considering the well documented, almost ubiquitous nature of microplastics in different environments, the exposure of pregnant women to microplastics may pose risks to the unborn children. The study focused on investigating the presence of microplastics in amniotic fluid and placenta, and brings the first evidence of the simultaneous presence of microplastics and additives in both human amniotic fluid and placentas. In total, 20 samples of amniotic fluid and placenta from 10 patients were analyzed for the presence of microplastics and plastic additives by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy - attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) after alkaline digestion with KOH. In 9 out of 10 patients, microplastics or additives were found in amniotic fluid, placenta, or both. Specifically, 44 particles of microplastics and polymer additives were identified in all samples. Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE) and Calcium zinc PVC Stabilizer with particle sizes between 10 and 50 μm prevailed. Although all women involved in this study, who provided placenta and amniotic fluid samples, experienced physiological, singleton pregnancies complicated with preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM), it is too early to draw any conclusions and more research is needed.

Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, i.e., microplastics, have been detected in a number of environments. The number of studies on microplastics in marine environments, fresh water, wastewater, the atmosphere, and the human body are increasing along with a rise in the amounts of plastic materials introduced into the environment every year, all contributing to a range of health and environmental issues. Although the use of primary microplastics has been gradually reduced by recent legislation in many countries, new knowledge and data on these problems are needed to understand the overall lifecycle of secondary microplastics in particular. The aim of this review is to provide unified information on the pathways of microplastics into the environment, their degradation, and related legislation, with a special focus on the methods of their sampling, determination, and instrumental analysis. To deal with the health and environmental issues associated with the abundance of microplastics in the environment, researchers should focus on agreeing on a uniform methodology to determine the gravity of the problem through obtaining comparable data, thus leading to new and stricter legislation enforcing more sustainable plastic production and recycling, and hopefully contributing to reversing the trend of high amounts of microplastics worldwide.

Climate change is creating new challenges for water supply worldwide, making the search for new sources of water vital. As mine water could serve as a potential source, this study investigated the presence of microplastics in water from terminated deep mines in the largest coal basin in the Czech Republic, as well as in water from nearby shallow wells. The particles found were analyzed for size, polymer composition, color and morphology using the ImageJ tool, infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FTIR) and an optical stereomicroscope with a digital camera. Microplastics were detected in all tested sites. Their range accounted for 2.5-17.5 items/L for mine water samples and 2.5-20 items/L for well samples, with fibers being the dominant type. The average width of particles from mine water and wells amounted to 58 µm; 71 µm, length to 655 µm; 501 µm and area to 22,067 µm2; 28,613 µm2, respectively. Blue color was prevalent, among materials, in both cases, plastic coated paper was found dominant to Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyester (PES), Tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro (Propyl Vinyl Ether) - Copolymer (TFE-PPVE), and polypropylene (PP). The research provides the first evidence of microplastics' presence in underground waters from deep mines and shallow wells in the same area. The data suggest that it is almost impossible to find underground water sources free of microplastic contamination. In this context, atmospheric contamination from mine ventilation and infiltration through terminated mines were identified as potential sources, while infiltration through soil and rock formations is unlikely given the geological composition. The results of this study can serve as a relevant basis for further research on microplastics in mine waters. Additionally, the conclusions can advance the development in remediation technologies of microplastics from deep underground waters and their implementation in practice, particularly in light of upcoming legislation.

The quality of wastewater greatly affects the aquatic environment. Currently, a significant amount of emerging pollutants are entering wastewater in the form of pharmaceutical contaminants, industrial chemicals, pesticides, toxins, etc. However, conventional wastewater treatment processes at WWTPs are not effective enough for these emerging pollutants. Therefore, emerging pollutants represent a significant source of wastewater pollution and associated pollution of surface water and even drinking water. The main sources of pharmaceutical contaminants are analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, and of these, the most common in wastewater are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The aim is to provide a comprehensive review of the available information on NSAIDs in the aquatic environment, i.e., their occurrence, effects on the environment, formation of main metabolites, and methods of NSAID removal, with a focus on current trends and possible directions for future research.

The growth of global plastic production and the associated increase in microplastic pollution in the environment has attracted increasing attention from both scientists and the general public. Drinking water from public water supply systems is essential for human life and therefore ensuring its high quality is a priority. The aim of this study was to detect and identify microplastics in drinking water from public water supply systems. Water samples were collected from various locations across the Czech Republic during two sampling campaigns in 2021 and 2023. A total of 58 samples and 580 particles were analyzed using μ-FTIR (micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy). These particles were categorized by material, shape, color, and quantity. Of the analyzed particles, 196 were identified as microplastics. Except for one sample, where no microplastics were detected, the concentration ranged from 20 to 180 microplastics per liter during the first campaign and from 20 to 120 microplastics per liter in the second campaign. In the first campaign, fibers and transparent microplastics were predominantly detected, while in the second collection, fragments and blue microplastics were more common. The most frequently observed materials were paper with polyethylene coating, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyester (PES). This study also provides data on the average daily intake of microplastics via drinking water, calculated as 2 and 2.1 MP/kg/day, with all results undergoing statistical evaluation. Furthermore, the study addresses new European legislation and the proposed standardized methodology, which represents a significant step toward achieving consistent results across studies and, upon its adoption, will likely influence the direction of research on microplastics in drinking water. However, as discussed in the study, the methodology contains several problematic aspects, which are elaborated upon. With the planned inclusion of microplastics on the EU list of substances to be monitored, it is essential to continue research and collect more data. This study confirms the presence of microplastics and provides detailed information on their characteristics in drinking water supplied by public water systems in the Czech Republic.Highlights Two drinking water sampling campaigns were carried out. Microplastics were found in 57 out of 58 analyzed drinking water samples. The average MP concentrations in two campaigns amounted 68.3 and 65 MP/L. Material, shape, and color of all detected microplastics were identified. Average daily MP intake via drinking water was calculated as 2 and 2.1 MP/kg/day. Graphical abstract

Wastewater contains resources, which can be recovered for secondary use if treated properly. Besides research in zero liquid discharge solutions, the aim of the study was a simultaneous recovery of products from a wastewater treatment plant’s dewatering liquor. To be specific, we investigated a simultaneous recovery of struvite and irrigation water using electrodialysis (ED) in laboratory experiments. Two products were obtained from ED—concentrate and diluate. The concentrate was precipitated to obtain struvite. On average, 11 g of wet precipitate (including 17.58% of dry solids) were obtained from 1 L of concentrate. Crystal phases were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), with showing 94–97% recovery of struvite, while the remaining 3–6% were identified as hazenite. The average yield of crystal struvite was 1.76 g. Both struvite and hazenite may further be used as a fertilizer. Next, we suggest using the second ED product, the diluate, as irrigation water if it meets the irrigation water requirements. Attention was paid to the concentrations of dissolved solids (DS) in diluate, which decreased by an average of 93% compared to the input values in the dewatering liquor. In line with the observed Czech or EU standards indicators, we can say that the diluate can be used in agriculture, namely as irrigation water (Category I—water suitable for irrigation).