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Micro(nano)plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystem: emphasis on impacts of polystyrene on soil biota, plants, animals, and humans
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Polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics can bioaccumulate through the food chain from soil organisms to plants to animals, raising human health concerns through food consumption. Agricultural soils showed significant contamination, with PS particles causing documented toxic effects on soil biota, plant uptake and growth, and animal health.
Pollution with emerging microscopic contaminants such as microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) including polystyrene (PS) in aquatic and terrestrial environments is increasingly recognized. PS is largely used in packaging materials and is dumped directly into the ecosystem. PS micro-nano-plastics (MNPs) can be potentially bioaccumulated in the food chain and can cause human health concerns through food consumption. Earlier MP research has focused on the aquatic environments, but recent researches show significant MP and NP contamination in the terrestrial environments especially agricultural fields. Though PS is the hotspot of MPs research, however, to our knowledge, this systematic review represents the first of its kind that specifically focused on PS contamination in agricultural soils, covering sources, effects, and ways of PS mitigation. The paper also provides updated information on the effects of PS on soil organisms, its uptake by plants, and effects on higher animals as well as human beings. Directions for future research are also proposed to increase our understanding of the environmental contamination of PS in terrestrial environments.
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A Critical Review of Polystyrene Microplastics in Soil–Plant Systems: Absorption, Phytotoxicity and Future Perspectives
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This review compiled evidence on how polystyrene microplastics behave in soil-plant systems, covering their effects on soil microbial communities, plant root uptake, and crop phytotoxicity. The authors document that PS-MPs alter soil biochemistry and enter plant tissues, raising concerns about their accumulation in the food chain.
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This review covers the distribution and effects of microplastics in soils, plants, and animals, examining how plastic pollution moves through terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics in soil can alter microbial communities, reduce plant growth, and accumulate in animals that ingest contaminated food or water. The review highlights that land-based microplastic pollution is as serious a concern as ocean contamination and poses direct risks to agriculture and human food safety.
Micro (nano) plastic pollution: The ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health.
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This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect soil health, plant growth, and food quality, finding that these particles accumulate in plant root systems and can reduce crop yields and alter nutritional content. Since contaminated soil and water are increasingly delivering microplastics to food crops, these findings are directly relevant to agricultural food safety.
Ecotoxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics on terrestrial food web from plants to human beings
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This review examined the ecotoxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics across the terrestrial food web, from plants to humans. Researchers found that plants can take up these particles through roots and leaves, soil organisms are affected by altered soil properties, and the potential for transfer through the food chain raises concerns about human dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastics.
Micro/Nanoplastics in Agricultural Soils and Associated Hazard
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This review surveys the sources, distribution, and hazards of micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils, with particular attention to how MPs interact with soil organisms, alter nutrient availability, and accumulate in crops in ways that threaten both soil health and food safety.
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