Microplastics and marine organisms

Mikroplastikom nazivamo dijelove plastike (plastičnih polimera) manje od 5mm, koji nastaju kao produkt razgradnje većih dijelova plastike ili se specifično stvaraju i koriste u različitim industrijama. U posljednjih 40 godina, mikroplastika se aktivno nakuplja te zagađuje morski okoliš, posebice nanoseći štetu morskim organizmima. U ovom radu predstavljena je mikroplastika, njene fizičke i kemijske karakteristike, nastanak, te utjecaj i posljedice koje ima na morski ekosustav. Posebno su obrađene negativne posljedice unosa mikroplastike u morske organizme.Microplastics is common name for plastic parts, less than 5mm in size, which are formed either through fragmentation of macroplastics, or are specifically created and used in various industries. In the last 40 years, microplastics have been actively accumulating and polluting the marine environment, in particular, causing damage to marine organisms. This paper presents microplastics, its physical and chemical characteristics, its origin, and the consequences it has on the marine ecosystem. A special emphasis is placed on the negative effects of microplastic intake for marine organisms