Combined biological effects of polystyrene microplastics and phenanthrene on Tubifex tubifex and microorganisms in wetland sediment

Polystyrene microplastics: environmental presence, pathways, and biological impact

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Researchers reviewed the environmental presence, transport pathways, and biological impacts of polystyrene microplastics, documenting how widespread food packaging use leads to pervasive contamination of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and raises concerns for organismal and human health.

Temporal dynamics of bacterial and fungal colonization on polystyrene microplastics in floodplain soils

Ecological Effects of Chemical Contaminants Adsorbed to Microplastics

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Microplastics act as vectors for adsorbed chemical contaminants including pesticides, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants, amplifying their transport and bioavailability in aquatic and soil ecosystems. The combined exposure to plastic particles and their chemical cargo poses greater ecotoxicological risks than either contaminant class alone.

Ecological Effects of Chemical Contaminants Adsorbed to Microplastics

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Researchers reviewed how chemical contaminants that bind to microplastics — including pesticides and heavy metals — affect aquatic and soil organisms, finding that microplastics can both concentrate toxins and amplify their biological impact. This so-called Trojan horse effect may make microplastic pollution more ecologically harmful than the plastic alone would suggest.

Occurrence and Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

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Researchers reviewed how microplastics — now present in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe — accumulate in and harm both aquatic and land-based ecosystems, highlighting the broad reach of plastic pollution as a threat to wildlife and potentially to human health.