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Microplastic environmental behavior and health risk assessment: a review
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Researchers comprehensively reviewed microplastic pollution across soil, water, and air environments, summarizing findings on aging, toxicity in model organisms, combined effects with heavy metals and endocrine disruptors, and risks to human gastrointestinal, pulmonary, reproductive, and cardiovascular health.
Total plastic production is expected to reach 33 billion tons by 2050, and microplastic emissions from effluents to the environment range from 0.46 million to 140 billion tons. Microplastic distribution and toxicological effects are actually poorly known. Here we review microplastic pollution with emphasis on their environmental distribution, their aging, their analysis in the environment and living organisms, their toxicity alone or combined with other contaminants, and their mitigation techniques. We present microplastic distribution in soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microplastic aging is controlled by physical, chemical, and biological factors. Model organisms of microplastic exposure include zebrafish, earthworms, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Arabidopsis thaliana. Microplastic exposure to humans could induce gastrointestinal, pulmonary, reproductive, and cardiovascular toxicity, and neurotoxicity. We discuss the combined toxicity of microplastics with organic pollutants, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, and antibiotics. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are currently the most commonly used techniques for microplastic analysis.
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Health risk of human exposure to microplastics: a review
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Researchers reviewed the human health risks of microplastic exposure across multiple organ systems, finding evidence that these particles trigger oxidative stress, disrupt gut microbiota, impair liver and cardiovascular function, suppress immunity, and — through leached additives like phthalates — act as endocrine disruptors with synergistic effects when combined with co-occurring environmental pollutants.
Review study of microplastics Health and environmental Effects
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This review synthesizes two decades of research on microplastic exposure and health effects, reporting an estimated human intake of 39,000–52,000 particles per year and documenting microplastic detection across numerous tissues including lung, blood, placenta, and testis, while highlighting persistent data gaps in understanding downstream biological impacts.
Sources of Microplastics in the Environment and Human Exposure Routes: A Review
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Researchers reviewed the major sources of environmental microplastic pollution — dominated by textiles, tires, and urban dust — and catalogued the primary human exposure routes via food, inhalation, and skin contact, noting that airborne MPs are an underestimated risk because fine particles can bypass respiratory defenses and penetrate deep into the lungs.
Influence of Microplastics on Environmental and Human Health
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Researchers reviewed the growing body of evidence on microplastic health impacts over the past decade, synthesizing findings from World Health Organization reports and primary studies to assess risks from ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact across different particle types.
Risk Assessment of Microplastic Pollution
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Microplastics are persistent, ubiquitous pollutants that resist decay and accumulate across environmental compartments—air, water, soil, and living organisms—making comprehensive risk assessment both urgent and methodologically complex. Their ability to carry and release toxic chemical additives amplifies health risks and complicates efforts to establish safe exposure thresholds for human populations.
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