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Microplastics as vectors and reservoirs of pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse: mechanisms, occurrence and analytical challenges
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This review paper looks at how tiny plastic particles in water can act like sponges, soaking up medications and illegal drugs and potentially carrying them through the environment. The catch: scientists don't yet have reliable ways to measure exactly how much of these substances stick to microplastics or predict where they end up, making it hard to know the real risk to people and ecosystems right now. Bottom line: this is an emerging concern worth watching, but researchers need better testing methods before we can say how much this affects human health.
Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly investigated as particulate phases capable of interacting with emerging organic contaminants in aquatic environments. This review critically evaluates the analytical and mechanistic foundations for considering MPs as potential reservoirs and vectors of pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of physicochemical speciation, including pH-dependent lipophilicity (logD), ionization equilibria, and the evolution of polymer surfaces, in governing contaminant-particle interactions. Experimental evidence indicates that sorption onto MPs cannot be described solely by hydrophobic partitioning (logKow), but involves coupled mechanisms, including electrostatic interactions, surface oxidation induced by aging, and biofilm-mediated processes. While a growing body of literature addresses pharmaceutical sorption, quantitative data on drugs of abuse and new psychoactive substances remain largely lacking, limiting predictive modeling capabilities. A critical gap is represented by the scarcity of pH-dependent plastic-water partition coefficients (Kpw) for ionizable compounds. From an analytical perspective, the integration of microplastic sampling with LC-HRMS-based workflows introduces significant methodological challenges. Sampling artifacts, extraction-induced redistribution, matrix effects in electrospray ionization, adduct formation, in-source fragmentation, and variability in identification confidence levels in non-target analysis directly affect data interpretation. The lack of harmonized QA/QC protocols further limits comparability across studies. The transition toward a dynamic and quantitative framework requires the integration of controlled sorption experiments with HRMS, standardized reporting, and models that account for chemical speciation. Such integration is essential to achieve robust exposure assessments in anthropogenically impacted aquatic systems.
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Micro(nano)plastics as a vector of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystem: Historical review and future trends
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This systematic review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics in water can absorb and carry pharmaceutical drugs, creating a combined pollution threat. When medications attach to tiny plastic particles in rivers and oceans, they may become more harmful to aquatic life and potentially to humans who consume contaminated seafood or water. The research traces how this emerging double-threat has grown since 2018 and identifies key knowledge gaps.
Pharmaceuticals and micro(nano)plastics in the environment: Sorption and analytical challenges
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This review examines how pharmaceutical residues and micro- and nanoplastics interact in water environments, finding that microplastics can adsorb medications and alter their environmental behavior. Factors like plastic type, surface area, and biological film growth all influence these interactions, but very few studies have been conducted under real-world conditions. The authors highlight persistent analytical challenges and the need for field-based research to understand actual risks.
Microplastics as vectors of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms – An overview of their environmental implications
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics act as "vectors" for pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments, absorbing drugs onto their surfaces and then releasing them inside organisms after ingestion — potentially amplifying the toxicity of pharmaceuticals throughout the food web.
Microplastics in the environment: analytical chemistry methods, sorption materials, risks and sustainable solutions
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This review covers the full picture of microplastic pollution, from how scientists detect and measure these particles to how they carry other pollutants and affect living organisms. The authors highlight that microplastics act as tiny sponges that absorb harmful chemicals like pharmaceuticals and pesticides, then release them inside organisms that ingest the particles. The review calls for more standardized testing methods and sustainable solutions to reduce both microplastic pollution and its risks to human health.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Emerging Modifiers of Human Drug Pharmacokinetics: Implications for Adme and Therapeutic Outcomes
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**TLDR:** This review of existing research found that tiny plastic particles we're exposed to from the environment might interfere with how medications work in our bodies. These microplastics and nanoplastics can potentially make some drugs less effective or change how they're absorbed, which could be especially risky for critical medications like blood thinners and seizure drugs. While scientists need more human studies to fully understand the impact, this suggests our plastic pollution problem might also be affecting how well our medicines work.
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