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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 (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are rapidly emerging contaminants in both agricultural soils and aquatic systems. Their interactions with pesticides, antibiotics, and mineral colloids fundamentally reshape contaminant behavior, mobility, and environmental risks. This dissertation integrates three research components to investigate how MPs and NPs influence the physicochemical pathways of systemic pesticides and antibiotics across soil and water systems. The first research component examines the sorption behavior of spirotetramat (SP) on pristine and aged PVC microplastics of two representative particle sizes. Aging significantly enhanced sorption affinity due to increased surface polarity, oxygen-containing functional groups, and surface roughness, while particle size controlled accessible sorption area. In soil environments, PVC MPs altered the distribution of SP between soil organic matter and the plastic phase, modifying its mobility and persistence. The second component elucidates structure-driven interactions between fluensulfone (FL) and PVC MPs. FL exhibited fluorine-involved hydrogen bonding and halogen-related interactions with PVC, generating sorption domains distinct from those of SP. Competitive sorption experiments confirmed minimal antagonism between the two pesticides due to differentiated sorption mechanisms. Environmental parameters such as pH, ionic strength, and humic acid further regulated FL–PVC interactions. The third component explores heteroaggregation between nanoplastics and common minerals under varying degrees of background plastic pollution. Nanoplastics promoted or inhibited mineral aggregation depending on ionic strength and plastic loading. These NP–mineral heteroaggregates substantially modified antibiotic adsorption pathways, demonstrating that nanoplastics actively reshape contaminant transport in aquatic systems. Together, these studies provide mechanistic insights into how MPs and NPs modify pesticide and antibiotic behavior at molecular, colloidal, and environmental scales. This work highlights the importance of incorporating plastic pollution into contaminant risk assessments in both agricultural and aquatic environments.
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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.
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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.
The vector effect of microplastics and nanoplastics: co-transport and ecological risks of chemical pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes in the soil-water continuum
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This review pulls together existing research showing that tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) don't just pollute soil and water on their own, they act like tiny taxis, carrying toxic chemicals and even antibiotic-resistant bacteria genes along with them as they move through the environment and into the food chain. This matters because it means the health risks from plastic pollution may be more complex than previously thought, potentially combining chemical exposure with the spread of antibiotic resistance, though scientists still need better tools to measure exactly how much risk this poses to humans and animals.
A comprehensive review on microplastics as vectors of chemical and biological pollutants
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Tiny plastic bits (microplastics) found in water, soil, and food don't just pollute on their own—this review of existing research shows they can act like sponges, soaking up harmful chemicals and germs and carrying them into animals and ecosystems. Studies suggest plastics loaded with these pollutants can be more toxic than the pollutants alone, raising concerns about how much of this contaminated plastic might build up in the food chain—and potentially in us. More real-world research is needed to fully understand the risk, but this is a good reason to keep reducing plastic exposure where you can.
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