We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Micro and nano plastics in fruits and vegetables: A review.
Summary
This review examined how microplastics contaminate fruits and vegetables through root uptake, surface adhesion, and irrigation water, covering analytical methods for detection and highlighting the role of plants as an underappreciated entry point for plastics into the human food chain.
Plastics are becoming common environmental pollutants. Plants behave as access routes for plastics in the trophic chain since they can adsorb particles through their roots or on their surfaces. In this review, various methods for sample preparation and analytical methods for plastic isolation and identification from vegetables, fruits, and their seedlings were discussed. The effects that plastic particles have on them were also addressed. All of the studies offer convincing proof that micro and nano plastics already exist in fruits and vegetables, or can easily enter into their seedlings and have a variety of effects. Since most studies have been conducted under strictly controlled conditions using standard plastics, more tests under more environmentally realistic conditions are required to ensure that literature studies are applicable. Also, more fruits and vegetables need to be tested to identify the number of plastics currently there that, when consumed, could harm human health.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
A critical review on microplastics in edible fruits and vegetables: A threat to human health
This review examines the growing evidence that microplastics are present in edible fruits and vegetables, having been taken up from contaminated soils and irrigation water. Researchers found that agricultural practices like plastic mulching and the use of treated wastewater for irrigation are major contributors to crop contamination. The study raises concerns about dietary microplastic exposure through plant-based foods, which have received less attention than seafood in pollution research.
Microplastic Uptake in Vegetables: Sources, Mechanisms, Transport and Food Safety
This review summarizes current knowledge on how microplastics enter vegetables through soil, water, and air, and how they are transported within plant tissues. Researchers found that microplastics can be taken up through roots and move to edible parts, with uptake varying by plant species, particle size, and soil conditions. The findings highlight that vegetable consumption may be an important but underrecognized pathway for human microplastic exposure.
Micro/nanoplastics: a potential threat to crops
This review examines micro- and nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soil and water, summarizing sources, adsorption onto microplastics, uptake pathways into crops, effects on plant growth and physiology, and current detection and removal approaches, while highlighting the limited data on nanoplastic transport in plants.
The review of nanoplastics in plants: Detection, analysis, uptake, migration and risk
This review examines how nanoplastics are detected, analyzed, taken up by plants, and migrate through plant tissues from roots to edible parts. As nanoplastics are found in agricultural soils, understanding how they enter food crops is critical for assessing human dietary exposure.
Micro and nanoplastics pollution: Sources, distribution, uptake in plants, toxicological effects, and innovative remediation strategies for environmental sustainability
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter plants through roots, disrupt growth and photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress that reduces crop yields. Because these plastic particles can move through plant tissues and into edible parts, they represent a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the human food supply.