Micro- and Nanoplastics–Pesticide Interactions in Agricultural Systems: Environmental Fate and Food Safety: A Critical Review

Due to the ever-increasing use of plastic products, microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) have become ubiquitous environmental pollutants, with their highest concentrations found in the soil. These xenobiotics can affect soil properties: pH, water holding capacity, porosity, bulk density, infiltration, cation exchange capacity, electrolytic conductivity, nutrient retention capacity, biodiversity of soil microorganisms, and the fate of other agrochemicals present in the soil. Pesticides may, in turn, influence plastic particles aging, biological colonization, and environmental interactions. The aim of this review was to analyze the impact of MNPs on the fate of pesticides and to assess whether such co-contaminants may pose a threat to the food safety of agricultural crops intended for human consumption. Experimental studies indicate that MNPs can alter pesticide fate and toxicity, although the direction and magnitude of these effects vary substantially with polymer type, particle properties and age, pesticide characteristics, and environmental conditions. Additionally, degradation and fragmentation of biodegradable polymers may increase particle abundance and modify surface properties over time, potentially altering their interactions with pesticides and soil microorganisms. The most important research gap is the lack of studies that simultaneously assess the MNPs influence on pesticide fate in the soil and measure the concentrations of both contaminants in plant tissues.