The massive production and extensive distribution of microplastics, stemming from postconsumer plastics, have become problematic for the environment and human health. Various studies have reported the hazardous potential and toxicity of microplastics in living organisms, including animals and humans. As a precautionary measure to protect them from microplastic exposure, significant efforts have been made to analyze the distribution of microplastics in the environment. However, each research group individually examined the microplastic distribution in a specific location. Consequently, there is a lack of information regarding the presence of microplastics in wider district units, such as cities and across the nation. In this study, an overview of various case studies in South Korea is provided by discussing the presence and concentration of microplastics in South Korea and examining the reports and research articles on the analysis of microplastic distributions in different locations in South Korea. The current sampling and analysis methods used for microplastic distribution studies were also summarized, along with their technical challenges. The possible sources of primary and secondary microplastics were also discussed to determine the original plastic types of microplastics derived from industries and households.

中文翻译：

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环境中微塑料分布分析：韩国案例研究

消费后塑料产生的微塑料的大量生产和广泛分布，已经成为环境和人类健康的问题。各种研究报告了微塑料对生物体（包括动物和人类）的潜在危险和毒性。作为保护他们免受微塑料暴露的预防措施，人们做出了大量努力来分析微塑料在环境中的分布。然而，每个研究小组都单独检查了特定位置的微塑料分布。因此，缺乏有关城市和全国范围内更广泛的地区单位中微塑料存在情况的信息。在本研究中，通过讨论韩国微塑料的存在和浓度，并审查有关韩国不同地点微塑料分布分析的报告和研究文章，概述了韩国的各种案例研究。还总结了当前用于微塑料分布研究的采样和分析方法及其技术挑战。还讨论了初级和次级微塑料的可能来源，以确定来自工业和家庭的微塑料的原始塑料类型。