We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Co-occurrence of Microplastics and Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Aquatic Environments: Synergistic or Antagonistic Toxicity?
AI summary Read the abstract
This review synthesized evidence on the co-occurrence of microplastics and hydrophobic organic contaminants in aquatic environments, finding that their interactions—dominated by hydrophobic forces and further complicated by surfactants—can produce synergistic, antagonistic, or neutral toxicity depending on organism type and exposure dose. Microplastics acting as carriers for persistent organic pollutants amplifies contamination risks in aquatic ecosystems far beyond what either pollutant poses individually.
The co-occurrence of microplastics (MPs) and hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) has been widely detected in aquatic environments, and can exacerbate the water pollution systems through interactions, greatly threatening the safety of water ecosystems. However, a comprehensive review of composite water pollution induced by MPs and HOCs, particularly their combined toxicity effects, is still lacking. This review presents recent advances in their sources, distribution, and fate in composite water pollution systems. The interaction mechanisms between MPs and HOCs and the influencing factors are critically discussed. Colloidal microstructures assembled by MPs and HOCs in the water phase are highlighted, and their resulting synergistic or antagonistic toxic effects are evaluated. Oil spills, textile and plastic fabrication industries, and domestic washing processes are the main sources of MPs and HOCs. Various interactions can occur between MPs and HOCs, depending on the characteristics of MPs, aquatic environment conditions, and co-existing substances, with hydrophobic interactions dominating. The presence of surfactants complicates MP–HOC interactions, resulting in formation of diverse colloidal microstructures. Synergistic, antagonistic, or neutral toxicity can be induced by the co-exposure to MPs and HOCs in aquatic organisms, depending on their ingested dosage, behaviors in organisms, and the types of testing organisms. This review integrates up-to-date cross-disciplinary knowledge to provide a holistic understanding of composite water pollution caused by MPs and HOCs, greatly contributing to their environmental hazard prediction and reduction. Clarify co-occurrence of MPs and HOCs in aquatic environments. Elucidate multiple-dimensional MP–HOC interactions and main influence factors. Comprehensively analyze microstructures assembled by MPs and HOCs. Critically evaluate synergistic/antagonistic toxic effects of co-exposed MPs and HOCs. Propose potential research directions, opportunities, and challenges.
More Papers Like This
Combined Toxicity of PFAS and Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: Synergistic, Additive, and Antagonistic Interactions
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the combined toxicity of PFAS and microplastics in aquatic ecosystems, finding that while synergistic interactions receive the most attention, additive and antagonistic outcomes are also common and depend on PFAS congener, polymer type, particle size, and species—warning against treating synergy as the default response and calling for standardized mixture-based exposure protocols to enable ecologically realistic risk assessment.
Interaction of Microplastics and Organic Pollutants: Quantification, Environmental Fates, and Ecological Consequences
AI summary Read the abstract
Microplastics act as vectors for organic pollutants such as pesticides and industrial chemicals, concentrating and transporting these toxins to organisms that ingest the particles, amplifying exposure beyond what either contaminant would cause alone. This combined pollution effect complicates environmental risk assessments and underscores why microplastic contamination is more dangerous than particle counts alone suggest.
Interactions Between Microplastic and Heavy Metals in the Aquatic Environment: Implications for Toxicity and Mitigation Strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined how microplastics interact with heavy metals in aquatic environments, showing that temperature, pH, salinity, polymer type, and particle size modulate adsorption, desorption, and combined toxicity, with MPs acting as mobile heavy metal carriers throughout aquatic food webs. Understanding the synergistic toxicity of MPs and heavy metals is essential because their combined effects on aquatic organisms—and on humans consuming contaminated seafood—likely exceed the hazard of either pollutant alone.
Occurrence and Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
The occurrence of microplastic in aquatic environment and toxic effects for organisms
AI summary Read the abstract
"This review synthesized global research on microplastic occurrence in aquatic environments, finding that microplastics are widespread across all water bodies and can trigger inflammation, impair reproduction, and carry co-contaminants such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, and additives into organisms via bioaccumulation. The evidence underscores the need for stricter plastic emissions standards and improved water management, as aquatic microplastic pollution directly cascades into human dietary exposure through seafood and drinking water."
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.