Bridging the gap between microplastic research and social awareness of microplastic pollution through science communication: A call for action

The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the environmental matrices including soil, water, air, animals, and humans has gained increased attention globally from researchers, the public, industries, and regulators in recent decades. There is an enormous number of studies conducted to determine the presence, fate, behavior, and toxicity of MPs across the countries in the world. However, the gap between scientific evidence and social awareness of the issue of the MPs remains inadequately addressed. This paper aimed to identify the gap between MP research and social awareness of the MP issue while also emphasizing strategies to bridge this gap.