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Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agroecosystems: Plant Uptake, Food Safety, and Implications for Human Health
Summary
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.