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Advancements in environmental nanoplastics research
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This review synthesises advances in environmental nanoplastics research, discussing distinctions between nanoplastics and microplastics in physicochemical properties, limitations in current analytical methods for environmental samples, and gaps between laboratory exposure studies and real-world concentrations. The authors highlight emerging evidence of nanoplastics in human organs and excretions and argue that methodological breakthroughs will usher in a 'nano era' of plastic pollution research.
近年来，环境微塑料作为一种新污染物已成为环境科学的热点和前沿问题，尺寸更小的纳米塑料也逐渐与微塑料概念区分开来成为与之并列的研究领域。除尺寸之外，纳米塑料还有一些与微塑料或人工纳米材料不同的理化性质。尽管国际上较早开始了纳米塑料分析方法的探索，但目前对环境样品分析的可靠性和有效性有待发展，这也是限制我们了解环境纳米塑料本质属性和环境行为的重要原因。室内大量的纳米塑料暴露模拟实验与真实环境有较大差异，绝大部分毒理学数据来源于高浓度聚苯乙烯小球的暴露结果。越来越多的调查表明在人体的器官和排泄物中检测到纳米塑料，甚至与人类的一些疾病有关联。今后纳米塑料分析技术的实质性突破将意味着塑料污染的研究进入 “纳米时代”，而以环境中纳米塑料的时空分布、生物和人体纳米塑料的含量等为主题的调查性研究也将掀起一股新的塑料污染研究热潮。若后续有研究能够充分证实纳米塑料在人体中的高暴露水平与疾病发生存在显著相关性，那么塑料所带来的实际健康风险将远超当前认知水平，这也将成为促进更有力塑料污染防治法规出台的助推剂。
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