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Microplastics and Human Health: an Emerging Medical Environmental Problem
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This review paper summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles called microplastics, which break off from larger plastic items and can enter air, water, soil and food. It notes that people may be exposed mainly through eating and breathing, and that studies have found plastic particles in human stool, lung tissue, blood and placental tissue.
Plastic materials are widely used in packaging, clothing, transport, construction and healthcare. As larger plastic items weather, fragment or shed fibres, small particles known as microplastics can enter air, water, soil and food. Human exposure may occur mainly through ingestion and inhalation, while the contribution of dermal contact remains less clear. Researchers have detected plastic particles in several human samples, including stool, lung tissue, blood and placental tissue, raising important questions about possible biological effects.
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From environment to body: sources and health consequences of microplastics and nanoplastics in humans
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This review summarizes existing research on how tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, water, air, and skin contact. Studies cited suggest these particles may build up in tissues and are linked to inflammation, immune problems, and other health issues, though long-term human health risks remain unclear.
The Invisible Threat: Microplastic Biomonitoring, Systemic Translocation, and Human Health Risks
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles called microplastics, found in air, water, food, and body tissues. It describes laboratory, animal, and early human studies linking these particles to inflammation, hormone disruption, and changes in gut bacteria, and notes links to breathing problems, reproductive issues, and heart-related risks.
From Sources to Solutions: A Holistic Review of Microplastic Pollution and Its Environmental Implications
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles called microplastics, covering where they come from, how they spread through water, soil and air, and their effects on fish and ecosystems. It also reviews cleanup methods and notes that while human exposure is well documented, evidence linking it to health problems remains limited.
Health and Environmental Risks of Microplastics
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This review paper pulls together existing research on how microplastics — tiny plastic particles found nearly everywhere — get into our bodies through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and even our skin, and how they can cause harm through physical damage, chemical toxicity, or by carrying bacteria and other pollutants. The takeaway: microplastics may affect multiple organ systems, with some groups of people facing higher exposure risks, so understanding and reducing this pollution matters for long-term public health, even though many of the long-term effects are still being studied.
Microplastics as an Emerging Threat to the Global Environment and Human Health
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This review summarizes how microplastics from everyday products and plastic waste breakdown enter the environment and can cause health problems in humans, including respiratory issues, digestive problems, sleep disruption, and increased risk of obesity and diabetes. The authors call for a combined approach of reducing plastic use, improving recycling, and developing new technologies to capture and remove microplastics.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.