Highlighting the importance of studying microplastics in freshwater fishes

Abstract

Plastic pollution has recently been considered one of the major pressing concerns in the world, as the demand for plastic continues to increase, especially over the last decade and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, most of people’s daily practices tend to move toward the use of more plastic materials that could not be rapidly recycled, not only for wrapping various things including food products, but also for the manufacture of plasticwear gears such as hand gloves, face shields, and personal protective equipment (PPE) used by health workers in their work areas during this period of the pandemic, e.g. in hospitals, health centers, and health check-points among others. Amidst these developments, increase in production of plastic materials is not usually followed by advocacy on the adoption of plastic waste management, a phenomenon that remains a global challenge.