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A bridge between the lead release from masterbatch microplastics and ecological effects: From surface release to plant toxicity
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Researchers studied how aging of colored polyethylene microplastics causes lead chromate pigment to leach into the environment and affect plant growth. They found that aging-induced chemical changes on the plastic surface dramatically altered lead release patterns, with maximum lead release reaching over 5 mg/g. Wheatgrass experiments confirmed that the released lead caused measurable toxicity, demonstrating a direct pathway from pigmented microplastic degradation to plant harm.
Masterbatches, as concentrated pigment carriers used pervasively in plastic products, represent potential sources of heavy metals during microplastics aging process. Understanding how polymers aging regulates heavy metal release and toxicity is critical for long-term environmental risk assessment. In this study, polyethylene (PE) and lead chromate (PbCrO) masterbatch microplastics were investigated to elucidate the polarity-release-toxicity framework. This framework was verified through aging induced polar groups, release kinetics experiments, combined DFT calculations, and wheatgrass toxicological experiments. The results showed that aging-induced oxygen changed the lead (Pb) release kinetics from Fickian diffusion to Super Case-II diffusion. The maximum Pb release reached 5.27 ± 0.04 mg/g under acidic conditions. DFT results revealed that the surface polarization is aging-induced, which becomes more negative, increasing the binding energy between PE and PbCrO from -1.40 eV to -1.64 eV, promoting the Pb release. Furthermore, Pb release was regulated in real environmental waters (e.g., tap, lake, and river water) rather than uniformly suppressed, reflecting the combined effects of pH, dissolved organic matter, and inorganic ions. Additionally, the toxicological experiments revealed that MMPs could generate oxidative stress in wheatgrass and inhibit growth. This study reveals surface polarization induced as a key factor amplifying heavy metal release and associated toxicity from pigmented microplastics. These findings provide mechanistic insights for the environmental risk assessment and management of plastic materials containing toxic metal additives.
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Effects of accelerated aging on characteristics, leaching, and toxicity of commercial lead chromate pigmented microplastics
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Researchers studied how aging affects the leaching of lead chromate pigments from commercial microplastics and the resulting toxicity to microalgae. They found that aging caused surface cracking and fragmentation, which accelerated the release of chromium and lead, particularly under acidic conditions. The leachate from aged microplastics was significantly more toxic to algae than that from newer particles, highlighting how microplastic degradation in the environment can increase their chemical hazard over time.
Impact of Microplstic and Lead Toxicity on the Terrestrial Plants: a Critical Review
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This review examines the toxic effects of microplastics and lead on terrestrial plants, synthesizing evidence that MPs modify soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activity while lead disrupts root and shoot biomass, leaf development, and growth tolerance. Combined microplastic-lead exposure is found to be more damaging than either stressor alone, with implications for agricultural productivity in contaminated soils.
The interfacial interaction between typical microplastics and Pb2+ and their combined toxicity to Chlorella pyrenoidosa
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Researchers found that microplastics in freshwater can absorb lead (a toxic heavy metal) onto their surfaces, especially after being weathered by UV light. When combined, the microplastics and lead were more toxic to freshwater algae than either pollutant alone, with PET plastic showing the highest capacity to bind lead. This means microplastics in rivers and lakes may concentrate heavy metals and deliver higher doses of toxins to aquatic life and potentially to people through the water supply.
Natural aging and adsorption/desorption behaviors of polyethylene mulch films: Roles of film types and exposure patterns
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This study examined how polyethylene mulch films used in farming break down over time and become sources of microplastic pollution in soil. Films exposed on the soil surface degraded faster than buried ones, and the resulting microplastic fragments were better at absorbing toxic pollutants like lead. Importantly, once pollutants attach to these aged microplastics, they are harder to release -- even in conditions that mimic human digestion -- raising concerns about contamination entering our food chain.
Enhancement of Pb(II) adsorption by aged polyethylene terephthalate microplastics in the presence of microalgae: kinetic and mechanistic
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UV, permanganate, and alkaline aging treatments all increased PET microplastic adsorption capacity for lead, and Microcystis aeruginosa microalgae further enhanced Pb(II) adsorption by coating PET surfaces with organic matter, demonstrating how environmental aging and biofouling amplify MP-metal interactions.
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