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Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agroecosystems: Plant Uptake, Food Safety, and Implications for Human Health
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This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles are getting into our food crops through contaminated soil and air, causing stress and damage to the plants. These microplastics have been found in the parts of vegetables we actually eat - including leafy greens, root vegetables, and fruits - which means people may be consuming them in their daily diet. However, scientists still don't fully understand how much plastic we're eating or what the long-term health effects might be.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are being found, with growing frequency, in agroecosystems, where soils function as major sinks and direct interfaces with food crops. This review shows an integrated soil–plant–food analytical framework and synthesizes evidence on MNPs behavior in soils (dispersion, aging, aggregation), plant uptake pathways (root vs. foliar, including atmospheric deposition), tissue translocation, and plant physiological responses. Across crop species and exposure conditions, convergent patterns included oxidative stress, disruption of nutrient homeostasis, impaired photosynthesis, and growth penalties, with magnitude modulated by particle size, polymer type, and surface chemistry within specific soil–plant contexts. Occurrence of MNPs in edible tissues of leafy, root, and fruit vegetables is critically appraised, as well as its implications for food safety and potential dietary exposure. Key uncertainties persist, including heterogeneous analytical methods, scarce long-term field datasets, and limited alignment between laboratory doses and environmental concentrations. These constraints translate into priorities for exposure assessment and risk governance, including the need for standardized metrics, harmonized quality criteria, and field-scale monitoring aligned with agronomic practices. By re-centering the analysis on crops and food systems while acknowledging human exposure implications, the review provides a decision-oriented basis for research and mitigation.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics in Plants: Impacts on Physiology, Food Safety, and Environmental Sustainability
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Tiny plastic bits, called microplastics, are showing up in soil everywhere and getting absorbed into crops through their roots, according to this review of existing research. This can stunt plant growth and stress the plants, and it means these plastics may end up on your plate when you eat fruits and vegetables. Scientists are still working out how much this affects human health, but the findings suggest we should pay closer attention to plastic pollution in farmland.
Micro/Nanoplastics in Agriculture: Uptake, Translocation and Bioaccumulation in Plants and Their Ecological Implications
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Tiny plastic particles from pollution are building up in farm soils and getting absorbed by plants through their roots, then traveling up into the leaves, fruits, and other parts we eat. This review of existing research shows these plastics can interfere with how plants grow and take up nutrients, and their presence in edible crops raises real concerns about how much plastic might be ending up on our dinner plates. Scientists still need better, standardized tools to detect these particles and develop ways to keep them out of our food supply.
Microplastic Uptake in Vegetables: Sources, Mechanisms, Transport and Food Safety
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This review gathered current knowledge on how microplastics enter agricultural soils and get taken up by vegetable crops, which are a major part of the human diet. Researchers found that microplastics can be absorbed through plant roots and transported to edible parts, with uptake influenced by particle size, plastic type, and soil conditions. The study highlights the need for more research on how microplastic contamination in food crops could affect human health and food safety.
Micro and nanoplastics as emerging stressors influencing plant metabolism and nutrient dynamics
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This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles in farm soil can get inside plants and change how they grow and absorb nutrients. When plants take up these microplastics, it could affect the nutritional quality of the fruits and vegetables we eat, potentially impacting our food safety. However, scientists still need more long-term studies to fully understand how serious this threat is to our food supply and health.
Assessing the impact of micro and nanoplastics on the productivity of vegetable crops in terrestrial horticulture: a comprehensive review
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This review summarizes research on how micro and nanoplastics accumulate in farmland and get absorbed by vegetable crops through their roots, building up in the edible parts of the plants. The plastic particles cause toxic effects that stunt plant growth by disrupting cellular processes and gene activity. This means the vegetables people eat may contain microplastics picked up from contaminated soil.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.