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Analytical methodology for unveiling human exposure to (micro)plastic additives
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Researchers reviewed laboratory and population-level methods for measuring human exposure to chemicals that leach from plastics — such as bisphenols and flame retardants — detailing how these toxic additives can be tracked through urine and blood tests after entering the body.
This review describes a wide variety of analytical approaches for the assessment of human exposure to organic chemicals associated with plastic additives, focusing on works published in the last decade on plasticisers, bisphenols, flame retardants and antioxidants. Physiologically based extraction tests serve as preliminary in-vitro assays to determine the bioaccessibility of these compounds from micro/nanoplastics in body fluids of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, or lung. Whenever plastic-laden compounds become bioavailable, human metabolism is to be monitored through the assessment of phase I and II metabolites. In this regard, analytical methods based on chromatography and mass spectrometry for human biomonitoring of parent compounds and their metabolites in biological samples (mostly urine and plasma) are discussed in depth. This review also covers the role of wastewater-based epidemiology in determining the overall human exposure of a given population to plastic-related species.
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Plastic additives and microplastics as emerging contaminants: Mechanisms and analytical assessment
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Researchers reviewed how chemical additives mixed into plastics during manufacturing — including stabilizers, flame retardants, and plasticizers — can leach out throughout a plastic's lifecycle and pose risks to ecosystems and human health, with microplastics acting as carriers that concentrate and transport these hazardous chemicals.
Leaching and extraction of additives from plastic pollution to inform environmental risk: A multidisciplinary review of analytical approaches
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This review looks at how chemical additives leak out of plastic pollution into the environment, comparing methods used by environmental scientists with established industry testing standards. Plastics contain many added chemicals like flame retardants, stabilizers, and plasticizers that can leach into water and soil. Understanding how these additives are released is important for assessing whether microplastics in food and water are carrying harmful chemicals into the human body.
A Noninvasive Quantitative Method for Evaluating Intestinal Exposure to Microplastics Based on the Excretion and Metabolism Patterns of Microplastics and Their Additives
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Researchers developed a noninvasive method to measure human intestinal microplastic exposure by tracking plastic additive chemicals (phthalates) in urine, which correlated strongly with actual microplastic intake in mouse experiments. They then applied this method to 133 people across 30 countries on 6 continents to estimate real-world gut exposure levels. This tool could help scientists finally quantify how many microplastics people are actually consuming and assess the associated health risks.
Plastics and their additives reached the blood and tissue spaces: what are the possible consequences?
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This review examines how microplastics and their chemical additives reach human blood and tissue spaces and discusses the potential health consequences of this exposure. The authors synthesize evidence on pathways by which microplastics enter biological systems via food chains and direct environmental exposure, and assess the range of health effects being documented in humans and animals, noting the field is still relatively new with serious to very serious impacts being identified.
A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health
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This detailed review examines the potential health effects of microplastics and the chemical additives they contain, which can include plasticizers, flame retardants, and stabilizers. Researchers describe how humans are exposed to these hazardous chemicals through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact as microplastics break down in the environment. The study emphasizes that the combination of physical particle effects and chemical toxicity makes microplastics a uniquely complex health concern.
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