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Phthalate-induced effects in algae and fishes: insights into environmental toxicology
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This review of existing research found that phthalates—chemicals commonly found in plastics and personal care products—are harming fish and algae in waterways by disrupting their hormones, reproduction, and basic life processes. Since these chemicals build up in the food chain and we're exposed to them through contaminated water and seafood, this pollution could pose risks to human health too. The findings highlight the need for better regulations to limit phthalate pollution in our environment.
Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants with endocrine-disrupting properties and increasing relevance for aquatic ecosystem health. This review synthesizes current evidence on PAEs' effects in fishes and micro- and macroalgae, integrating molecular, physiological and ecological responses across key trophic levels. In algae, PAEs impair photosynthesis, growth and metabolic homeostasis, while revealing a dual role as both targets of toxicity and potential contributors to environmental phthalate pools. In fishes, PAEs disrupt endocrine regulation, reproduction, development, metabolism and neurobehaviour, with emerging evidence of cardiotoxicity and epigenetic effects. By jointly analysing primary producers and vertebrate consumers, this review highlights species- and life-stage-specific vulnerabilities under environmentally realistic exposure scenarios, including chronic low-dose contamination, metabolite toxicity and mixture effects. Oxidative stress and endocrine signalling emerge as convergent mechanistic pathways. The review also evaluates algae-based bioremediation strategies, emphasizing species-dependent efficiencies and mixture-driven limitations. Major knowledge gaps include scarce long-term and multi-stressor studies and limited understanding of cross-trophic mechanisms. Overall, this integrated synthesis supports improved ecological risk assessment, informs regulatory frameworks and guides future multi-trophic and mechanistically driven research to mitigate PAEs pollution.
More Papers Like This
The Problem of Phthalate Occurrence in Aquatic Environment
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This review surveys phthalate contamination in aquatic environments, covering analytical quantification methods, toxicity data, and sources of phthalate pollution. It highlights phthalates as plastic additives that leach into water from plastic products, posing risks to aquatic organisms and human health.
The Origin of Phthalates in Algae: Biosynthesis and Environmental Bioaccumulation
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Researchers reviewed the dual role of algae as both producers and accumulators of phthalic acid esters, common plasticizer chemicals found throughout aquatic environments. The study suggests that algae can both biosynthesize and bioaccumulate phthalates depending on environmental conditions, making them important organisms for understanding the cycling of these widespread contaminants.
Microplastics as a source of phthalate esters in water: A review on occurrence, release mechanism, and ecological risk assessment
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This review pulls together existing research showing that microplastics floating in rivers and lakes aren't just plastic particles, they're also slowly leaking out chemical additives called phthalates, which are known to disrupt hormones. Even worse, as plastics break down over time from sun and physical wear, they release these chemicals faster and can also carry along other pollutants like heavy metals, potentially making the combined exposure more harmful to fish and other aquatic life that ingest them. While this study focused on water ecosystems rather than direct human health effects, it matters because these contaminated waters and organisms are part of the food chain and water supply humans rely
A review of phathalates in water: A toxic threat to aquatic life
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Researchers reviewed the aquatic toxicity of phthalate ester plasticizers across microorganisms, algae, invertebrates, and fish, finding that lower-molecular-weight phthalates are the most harmful and that these ubiquitous plastic additives pose broad ecological risks to aquatic ecosystems.
Toxicological implications of emerging pollutants on aquatic organisms
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Researchers reviewed how a broad range of emerging pollutants — including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals — harm aquatic organisms like fish, amphibians, and molluscs. Evidence shows these pollutants trigger oxidative stress, disrupt hormones, impair reproduction, and reduce biodiversity, with the review calling for stronger regulations, better wastewater treatment, and more research on the combined effects of multiple pollutants.
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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.