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Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Environmental Sources
Marine & Wildlife
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Microplastic ingestion in aquatic and soil biota: A comprehensive review of laboratory studies on edible size and intake pattern
Marine Pollution Bulletin2024
15 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 60
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Sun‐Hwa Nam,
Sun‐Hwa Nam,
Sang A. Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Haemi Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Sun‐Hwa Nam,
Sun‐Hwa Nam,
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Lia Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Sang A. Kim,
Sang A. Kim,
Sang A. Kim,
Jin Il Kwak,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Sanghee An,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Sanghee An,
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Jin Il Kwak,
Dokyung Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Haemi Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Tae-Yang Lee,
Lia Kim,
Haemi Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Lia Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Haemi Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Lia Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Haemi Kim,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Sang A. Kim,
Sang A. Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Sun‐Hwa Nam,
Youn‐Joo An
Jin Il Kwak,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Sanghee An,
Haemi Kim,
Jin Il Kwak,
Jin Il Kwak,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Tae-Yang Lee,
Tae-Yang Lee,
Lia Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Tae-Yang Lee,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Tae-Yang Lee,
Haemi Kim,
Youn‐Joo An
Haemi Kim,
Sanghee An,
Sanghee An,
Youn‐Joo An
Youn‐Joo An
Summary
This comprehensive review of 169 lab studies found that microplastics smaller than 300 micrometers can be consumed by a wide range of aquatic and soil organisms at the base of the food chain. Even organisms as small as 1 micrometer in body size were found to ingest microplastics. Since these tiny creatures are the foundation of food webs, their consumption of microplastics creates a direct pathway for plastic particles to accumulate up the chain and eventually reach humans through food.
Microplastic contamination is ubiquitous and can be transferred through the food chain to humans. However, studies on microplastic size have mainly focused on large animals with a body length >20 mm. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive review of 169 laboratory studies to determine the edible size of microplastics for macrofauna and flora in aquatic and soil biota. Our findings indicate that microplastics with a size of <300 μm and 1 μm, respectively, are edible for these organisms, which are positioned at the base of the food chain. We also analyzed intake and depuration patterns and identified factors affecting microplastic ingestion. Our study fills an important knowledge gap by identifying the range of microplastic sizes that can enter the food chain and be transferred to humans. The study findings have strong implications for the ecological risk assessment of microplastics and suggest a starting point for mitigating this threat.