We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Micro- and nanoplastic contamination in livestock production: Entry pathways, potential effects and analytical challenges
Summary
This review evaluates how micro- and nanoplastics enter livestock production systems through plastic mulching, waste fragmentation, and water runoff. The study suggests that these plastic particles can accumulate in livestock animals and potentially transfer up the food chain, though standardized analytical methods and comprehensive studies on livestock health effects are still lacking.
The abundant and widespread presence of particulate plastics in the environment is considered an area of increasing environmental, animal and human health concern. Despite the abundance and the potential to cause deleterious biological effects, studies related to the impact of micro and nanoplastics (MNPs) on livestock animals are limited. This review evaluates the sources and entry pathways of particulate plastics in all the types of livestock production systems. The potential health effects of MNPs on mouse models, ruminant animals and a few other livestock animals are discussed. Since evaluation of MNPs in almost all types of matrices in hindered by analytical challenges, this review also evaluates the commonly used methods, emerging techniques, and quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) procedures. Plastic mulching, fragmentation of plastic wastes and stream water runoff have been identified as major routes of MNPs entry in grazing-based and mixed livestock production systems. Notwithstanding the controlled indoor environment and relatively efficient waste management, MNPs have been detected in industrial livestock systems. The bioaccumulation and biomagnification of chemical toxicants can exacerbate the adverse effects of MNPs on higher trophic level species. Although there are several methods for the analysis of MNPs, dearth of standardized methods, certified reference materials, MPs standards, and global database libraries are major impediments. The adverse effects of MNPs on the internal organs of different livestock animals have to be studied using large sample sizes and without raising ethical concerns. Importantly, investigations on the accurate quantification of MNPs and its adverse effects in various livestock animals using rapid, cost-effective and robust analytical methods are required.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Presence of Microplastics in Livestock Production: A Challenge for Animal Health and Sustainability
This review examines microplastic contamination in livestock production systems, summarizing evidence of microplastic presence in feed, water, and animal tissues, and discussing implications for animal health, food safety, and sustainability.
Impact of Microplastics on Livestock: Sources, Exposure Pathways, and Physiological Consequences
This review examined how microplastics enter livestock systems through contaminated soil, water, and feed, and assessed the resulting risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. The review highlights that livestock exposure pathways are numerous and that microplastic contamination of the food chain is a growing concern.
A critical review of microplastic pollution in breeding industry: Sources, distribution, impacts, and characterization techniques, mitigation strategies and future research directions
This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in the breeding and livestock industry, covering sources, distribution patterns, and potential impacts on animal and human health through the food chain. Researchers identified key gaps in current understanding of how microplastics move through farming environments and accumulate in livestock. The study calls for more systematic research to help the industry develop strategies for preventing microplastic contamination.
Microplastics in manure: Sources, analytical methods, toxicodynamic, and toxicokinetic endpoints in livestock and poultry
Researchers reviewed the occurrence of microplastics in livestock and poultry manure, finding hundreds to thousands of particles per kilogram depending on the animal, with plastic-contaminated feed and mulching films as the primary sources. Because manure is widely spread on farmland as fertilizer, it represents a significant — and underappreciated — pathway for microplastics to enter agricultural soils and ultimately the food chain.
Connecting the Dots: Livestock Animals as Missing Links in the Chain of Microplastic Contamination and Human Health
This review highlights that farm animals are a missing link in understanding how microplastics move from contaminated soil and plants into the human food supply. Livestock can accumulate inhaled and ingested plastic particles, which may then transfer to people through meat, milk, and eggs. The authors call for standardized methods to measure microplastics in animal products to better understand this exposure pathway.