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Soil microplastics as carriers of organic pollutants: Sorption mechanisms and environmental behavior
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Tiny plastic bits in soil (from things like farm plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and traffic pollution) can act like magnets for pesticides and antibiotics, binding to them and changing how these chemicals move through the environment. This review of existing research shows that these plastic-pollutant combos can make harmful chemicals travel further, last longer, and become more available to soil creatures — potentially working their way up the food chain, into groundwater, and eventually onto our plates. The findings highlight why cutting down on plastic pollution in soil isn't just an environmental issue — it's a food safety and drinking water concern too.
Soil is a major aggregate of microplastics and organic pollutants (antibiotics, pesticides). The long-term coexistence of microplastics and these organic pollutants in soil leads to inevitable interactions, which in turn affect their environmental behaviors. Based on recent research findings on microplastics in agricultural and urban soils, it is found that agricultural soils receive a large amount of microplastic inputs mainly through plastic mulching films, sewage sludge, compost, and atmospheric deposition, while microplastics in urban soils mainly originate from traffic, landfills, and industrial activities. Besides, the inherent characteristics of microplastics (polymer type, particle size, crystallinity, surface chemical properties), the chemical characteristics of antibiotics and pesticides (ionization, hydrophobicity, functional groups), and key environmental parameters (pH, ionic strength, soil depth, mineral composition, and dissolved organic matter) all affect the adsorption behavior and mechanism of microplastics on organic pollutants. Aging, dissolved organic matter, clay minerals, and biofilms can significantly alter the surface of microplastics, transforming the adsorption mechanism from simple hydrophobic partitioning to a complex interplay involving hydrogen bonds, electrostatic attraction, and π-π interactions. These processes can change the mobility, bioavailability, and persistence of the combined pollutants, thereby having a continuous negative impact on soil organisms, terrestrial food webs, and potential groundwater pollution. Therefore, it is imperative to reduce emissions at the source and develop soil risk management strategies as soon as possible to mitigate the long-term threats these emerging compound pollutants pose to soil ecological functions and human health.
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Microplastics as pesticide vectors in soil: bridging aqueous insights to terrestrial co-contamination risks and ecosystem impacts
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This review of existing research finds that tiny plastic particles in soil can act like sponges, grabbing onto pesticides and helping them stick around longer, especially plastics that have started breaking down outdoors. That combo may stress soil organisms more than either pollutant alone, raising concerns about impacts on crops and, potentially, the food we eat, though more research is needed to confirm long-term risks.
Microplastics: Pesticide sorption and efficiency
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Tiny plastic particles in soil and water don't just sit there—they act like sponges that grab onto pesticides and antibiotics, changing how far these chemicals travel and how long they stick around in our environment. This matters because plastic pollution could be quietly making pesticide and antibiotic contamination worse or harder to predict in the food and water we rely on. The findings suggest that safety assessments for these chemicals should start factoring in microplastic pollution, since the plastics themselves may be changing the risks.
Microplastics as carriers of heavy metals and pesticides in agricultural soil
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Researchers review how microplastics in agricultural soils act as vectors for heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, using their high surface area and hydrophobicity to adsorb toxic compounds and increase their mobility and bioavailability, with cascading effects on soil structure, microbial communities, and food chain contamination.
Microplastics interfere with sorption–desorption, leaching, and mobility of 14C-diflubenzuron, 14C-fluazinam, and 14C-metribuzin in a tropical soil
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Tiny plastic bits in soil can change how pesticides move and stick around, according to new research on farm soil. In some cases, microplastics made certain pesticides less likely to bind to soil particles, allowing them to travel further and potentially seep into groundwater instead of breaking down safely. This matters because it suggests plastic pollution in farmland could indirectly increase pesticide contamination in the water we drink, even though this study didn't test drinking water directly.
Microplastics as vectors of antibiotics, heavy metals, and PFAS from agricultural soils to the food chain: Sources, transport pathways, and human health implications
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This review examines how microplastics in agricultural soils can adsorb and transport antibiotics, heavy metals, and PFAS chemicals through the food chain to humans. Researchers found that microplastics act as carriers that concentrate these pollutants and facilitate their uptake by crops and livestock. The study highlights the need for better understanding of how plastic particles serve as vectors for multiple contaminants in food systems.
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