Response to the comments on “Environmental behaviors of microplastics in aquatic systems: A systematic review on degradation, adsorption, toxicity and biofilm under aging conditions”

Microplastics’ Aging Processes in the Aquatic Environment: Aging Mechanisms, Altered Environmental Behaviors and Ecotoxicity

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This review details how physical, chemical, and biological aging processes transform microplastics in aquatic environments, altering their surface properties, pollutant adsorption capacity, and ability to leach plasticizers and flame retardants. Aged microplastics pose compounded risks to aquatic organisms and human health by acting as more potent carriers of toxic chemicals and penetrating biological tissues more readily than pristine particles.

Environmental behaviors of microplastics in aquatic systems: A systematic review on degradation, adsorption, toxicity and biofilm under aging conditions

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Aging processes like UV irradiation and physical abrasion alter microplastic surface properties, increasing their capacity to adsorb environmental pollutants while also enhancing leaching of toxic additives like phthalates, collectively amplifying the environmental toxicity of weathered microplastics.

Author response for "Microplastics: Sources, Environmental Fate, Degradation Pathways, and Analytical Identification Methods – A Review"

The Lifecycle of MPs: Understanding the Aging Process of Microplastics in Marine and Freshwater Habitats

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Researchers examined the full lifecycle of microplastics in aquatic environments, tracing how plastic particles age, fragment, and chemically change over time in marine and freshwater habitats — processes that affect their toxicity, how far they travel, and how easily organisms can ingest them.

Aging Characteristics and Adsorption Properties of Microplastics: Research Progress

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Tiny plastic bits (microplastics) don't just sit unchanged in the environment, sunlight, weather, and other natural forces break them down over time, and this "aging" process actually makes them better at soaking up toxic substances like heavy metals. This review pulls together existing research to show that aged microplastics may pose a bigger contamination risk than fresh ones, which matters because these particles can end up in our water, food, and eventually our bodies. Understanding how this works helps scientists better predict the real-world risks microplastics pose to human health.