Effects of Microplastics and Chromium in Marine and Freshwater Microalgae

Summary

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) and chromium, a toxic metal from industrial pollution, can team up to harm algae, the tiny organisms that form the base of aquatic food chains and produce much of the oxygen we breathe. When both pollutants were present together, the damage to these algae was often worse than either pollutant alone, suggesting real-world waterways contaminated with multiple pollutants may be more harmful than lab studies testing just one substance at a time. This matters because damage to algae can ripple up the food chain, affecting fish and seafood that eventually end up on our plates.