Plastics have low density, longevity, excellent barrier properties and relatively low cost, due to these features they are ideal materials for a wide range of manufacturing and packaging applications. According to records, a continuously increasing global annual production of plastics have around 300 million t and this total continues to grow at about 4 % per year. Increasing use of plastics comes together with them the problems of waste management and recycling practices. It is suggested that u ncontrolled disposal of litter along with poor waste management and recycling practices is the main reason for the accumulation of environment. On the other hand, s tudies have shown that the main sources of nano-sized plastics are (i) degradation process of plastic which is the mass source, (ii) personal care and cosmetic products and (iii) producing process of engineered plastics . Due to the chemically linked by weak secondary bonds or by physical interaction of polymers , eventually, nano -sized particles from any size of the plastic would spread to the transient environment. The worrying part is that 'smaller particles are generally more toxic than the corresponding bulk material at the same mass concentration' . Furthermore, mechanistic parts of some studies have shown that nano-sized plastic particles can transport through the food web , translocate between organs in the body and transfer from mothers to offspring . In vivo studies have shown that nano -sized plastic exposure has resulted in bioaccumulation within the body even brain (from our recent studies) , leading to oxidative DNA damage in the brain regions where it bioaccumulates (from our recent studies) , compromising immune responses , induction liver lesions and ultimately affecting behavior, physiology and metabolism. Here , based on current publications in literature and our recent studies, I would try to introduce danger dimensions of plastic wastes and nano-sized particles released from the wastes and other sources.
Key words; plastic wastes ; nano toxicity; nanoplastics ; microplastics.