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Aging enhances the ecological toxicity of polyethylene microplastics to marine medaka larvae (Oryzias melastigma)
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Researchers found that UV- and Fenton-aged polyethylene microplastics caused greater harm to marine medaka larvae than virgin plastic, disrupting gut microbiota composition and altering microbial metabolic functions in ways that impaired growth and development, underscoring the need to assess weathered microplastics in ecological risk evaluations.
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Microplastics’ Aging Processes in the Aquatic Environment: Aging Mechanisms, Altered Environmental Behaviors and Ecotoxicity
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This review details how physical, chemical, and biological aging processes transform microplastics in aquatic environments, altering their surface properties, pollutant adsorption capacity, and ability to leach plasticizers and flame retardants. Aged microplastics pose compounded risks to aquatic organisms and human health by acting as more potent carriers of toxic chemicals and penetrating biological tissues more readily than pristine particles.
Microplastic Toxicity in Aquatic Organisms and Aquatic Ecosystems: a Review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics move through aquatic food webs, finding evidence that these particles accumulate across trophic levels, but noted that most toxicity studies are conducted in labs rather than real ecosystems, leaving major gaps in understanding the true ecological and human health risks.
Ecotoxicological Consequences of Microplastics in Aquatic Life
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics — tiny plastic particles under 5mm — harm aquatic ecosystems, documenting that fish, invertebrates, and other marine life can ingest them, leading to physical damage, toxic chemical exposure, and disruptions to feeding and reproduction.
Ecotoxicity of Microplastic Pollutants to Marine Organisms: a Systematic Review
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Researchers conducted a systematic quantitative literature review of microplastic ecotoxicity in marine organisms, finding that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene particles (1–100 µm) are most commonly ingested and cause mortality, reproductive impairment, genotoxicity, and behavioral effects across a wide range of species.
Persistent Effects of Naturally Aged Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics on Physalaemus cuvieri Tadpoles: The Toxic Legacy Beyond Exposure
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Researchers exposed Physalaemus cuvieri tadpoles to naturally aged PET microplastics and found that toxic effects — including elevated oxidative stress, disrupted dopamine levels, and altered enzyme activity — persisted after exposure ended, demonstrating a cumulative legacy effect where damage from microplastic ingestion continues even after the pollutant is removed.
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