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Microplastics as an Ecological Vector Transport for Pharmaceuticals: Insights into the Interaction Mechanisms

2024 6 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Heba M. Hashem, Rania El‐Shaheny, Mahmoud El‐Maghrabey

Summary

Researchers investigated the capacity of microplastics to act as ecological vectors for pharmaceutical compounds, reviewing the adsorption mechanisms between hydrophilic drug molecules and plastic particle surfaces. The findings suggest microplastics may concentrate and transport pharmaceuticals into ecosystems and food chains beyond what water chemistry alone would predict.

There is a growing concern about how microplastics could harm human health and ecosystems. The ability of microplastics to transport hydrophobic organic contaminants is well recognized. The potential for hydrophilic compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, to be adsorbed...

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