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Plastics and their derivatives are impacting animal ecophysiology: A review
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This review examines how microplastics interact with marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical leaching, disrupting organisms from plankton to large fish. The paper highlights that plastic pollution in the ocean directly connects to human health through the food chain, as contaminated seafood transfers microplastics and their toxic additives to people who eat it.
Nowadays, plastic pollution is one of the most significant issues affecting the environment, posing a serious threat to marine biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and human health. Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, and the impact of microplastics (MPs) is much more worrying than visible contamination. The presence of these particles puts a strain on ecological dynamics, causing a significant impact on the health of marine organisms and affects humans due to the interconnection existing with the environment and the food chain. This review article examines the different ways in which MPs interact with marine life, the mechanisms that drive this pollution, and the cascading consequences for the health of organisms and ecosystems. It also highlights the critical links between plastic pollution and human health and underlines the urgency of a global and coordinated approach to address this growing crisis. Only through deeper understanding, increased awareness and collective action can we hope to mitigate the significant impacts of plastic pollution and ensure a sustainable future for oceans and our planet.
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Unraveling the ecotoxicological effects of micro and nano-plastics on aquatic organisms and human health
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This review summarizes the growing body of evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics affect aquatic organisms and, through the food chain, potentially human health. The tiny plastic particles absorb toxic pollutants and pathogens from the water, acting as carriers that deliver these harmful substances into the bodies of fish, shellfish, and other organisms. The review highlights that both direct plastic toxicity and indirect chemical exposure through contaminated seafood pose risks to human consumers.
Animal exposure to microplastics and health effects: A review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastic exposure affects animals across terrestrial and aquatic environments, finding that species suffer physical harm, chemical contamination from pollutants that stick to plastic surfaces, inflammation, and behavioral changes. Because microplastics accumulate up the food chain, the review warns that animals entering the human food supply may carry these particles into our bodies.
Environmental and Morphological Detrimental Effects of Microplastics on Marine Organisms to Human Health
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This review summarizes evidence that microplastics cause physical damage, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and reproductive harm across marine organisms from plankton to fish, and traces the pathway by which marine microplastic exposure may ultimately affect human health.
Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: A review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health
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This review examines how microplastics and the chemical contaminants they carry move through aquatic food chains from small organisms up to larger predators. Researchers found that microplastics can transfer toxic additives and absorbed pollutants to organisms that ingest them, with potential implications for seafood safety and ultimately human health.
Ecological impact of microplastic pollution on marine food webs
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This review examines how microplastic pollution disrupts marine food webs, tracing the transfer of plastic particles and associated chemicals from plankton through fish to top predators and analyzing the ecological consequences for marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
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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.