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Impact of Microplastics on Livestock: Sources, Exposure Pathways, and Physiological Consequences
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This review examined how microplastics enter livestock systems through contaminated soil, water, and feed, and assessed the resulting risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. The review highlights that livestock exposure pathways are numerous and that microplastic contamination of the food chain is a growing concern.
Microplastic (MP) contamination has emerged as an escalating environmental hazard with profound implications for terrestrial ecosystems, particularly within livestock-based agricultural systems. The pervasive presence of MPs in soil, water, and feed resources poses significant risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. This review explores the increasing vulnerability of livestock animals to MP exposure, focusing on environmental sources, exposure pathways, and associated physiological impacts. Livestock are regularly exposed to MPs via polluted feed, forage, drinking water, and soils altered with sewage sludge. MP intake, retention, and systemic distribution are influenced by species-specific changes in digestive physiology, notably those between ruminants and monogastric animals. Once internalized, MPs may cause gastrointestinal damage, oxidative stress, immunological dysfunction, hepatic impairment, and possible reproductive harm. Furthermore, microplastics (MPs) act as vectors for hazardous co-contaminants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, thereby enhancing the risk of bioaccumulation in edible tissues and posing significant challenges to food safety. Chronic exposure to MPs may impair animal health, productivity, and reproductive function, providing greater problems to livestock sustainability, economic viability, and human health. This review highlights the critical need for interdisciplinary research that combines veterinary toxicology, environmental science, and food safety to understand MP toxicokinetic in cattle better and influence evidence-based risk reduction and regulatory regimes.
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This review examines microplastic contamination in livestock production systems, summarizing evidence of microplastic presence in feed, water, and animal tissues, and discussing implications for animal health, food safety, and sustainability.
Micro- and nanoplastic contamination in livestock production: Entry pathways, potential effects and analytical challenges
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This review evaluates how micro- and nanoplastics enter livestock production systems through plastic mulching, waste fragmentation, and water runoff. The study suggests that these plastic particles can accumulate in livestock animals and potentially transfer up the food chain, though standardized analytical methods and comprehensive studies on livestock health effects are still lacking.
The negative impact of microplastics on the health of farm animals and the quality of livestock products
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Researchers reviewed evidence on how microplastics affect farm animals and the food supply chain, finding that controlled studies show oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis at high doses, but whether ambient environmental concentrations cause measurable harm to livestock productivity or meat safety remains unresolved.
Effects of Microplastics on Animal Health and Nutrition
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This review summarizes the current understanding of how microplastic ingestion affects animal health across multiple species including livestock, poultry, and aquatic organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut function in animals, with smaller particles posing greater risks due to their ability to cross biological barriers. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in feed and water sources is an emerging concern for animal agriculture and nutrition.
Microplastics in the food chain
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This review examines how microplastics enter and move through the food chain, posing risks to animal health, human wellness, and ecosystems. Researchers found that microplastic contamination has been extensively studied in aquatic environments and marine species, but significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their accumulation and impacts in agricultural soils and plant systems. The study calls for more research on soil microplastic contamination to reduce food chain hazards.
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