• It was hypothesized that not all of the micro-plastics resulted from photodegraded
plastics .
• Postulated sources of these micro-plastics may be traced to skincare
products that contain micro-beads, used for exfoliation, and/or from clothing,
in the form of polyester and acrylic fibers (Thompson et al., 2011).
• It is believed that beyond their intended use, these micro-plastics are
washed down the drain and directly released into the waterways by
surpassing the wastewater treatment process (Fig. A).