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Papers
1,857 resultsMicro/nanoplastics pollution poses a potential threat to soil health
This large meta-analysis of over 5,000 observations found that micro- and nanoplastics in soil harm crop growth, soil organisms, and microbial communities while increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The findings suggest that plastic pollution poses a broad threat to soil health, which could ultimately affect food production and human well-being.
A systematic review on microplastic contamination in marine Crustacea and Mollusca of Asia: Current scenario, concentration, characterization, polymeric risk assessment, and future Prospectives
This systematic review documented microplastic contamination in shellfish and crustaceans across Asia, finding 79 species affected. Since these seafood species are widely consumed, the presence of microplastics — especially polyethylene and polypropylene — in their tissues represents a direct route of human exposure through diet.
Effects of pristine microplastics and nanoplastics on soil invertebrates: A systematic review and meta-analysis of available data
About 49% of 1,061 biological endpoints were significantly affected by pristine micro- and nanoplastics across 56 studies on soil invertebrates, with polymers containing chloro and phenyl groups causing the most harm; concentrations above 1 g/kg in soil decreased earthworm growth and survival.
iMulch: an investigation of the influence of polymers on a terrestrial ecosystem using the example of mulch films used in agriculture
This research project studied how plastic mulch films used in farming break down into microplastics in soil, comparing conventional polyethylene films with biodegradable alternatives. The findings show that both types of mulch release microplastic particles into agricultural soil, though they behave differently in the environment, raising questions about the true sustainability of biodegradable farm plastics.
Toxicity and intergenerational accumulation effect of tire wear particles and their leachate on Brachionus plicatilis
Researchers studied tire wear particles, a major source of microplastics in oceans, and found they harm tiny marine animals called rotifers across multiple generations. The toxic effects actually got worse over generations, with repeated exposure being more harmful than single-generation exposure. The zinc and chemical additives in tire particles were the main drivers of toxicity, raising concerns about the growing impact of tire-derived microplastics on marine food chains.
Reproductive Effects of Phthalates and Microplastics on Marine Mussels Based on Adverse Outcome Pathway
Researchers found that microplastics and the chemical plasticizer DEHP that leaches from them work together to disrupt reproductive function in female mussels by interfering with estrogen signaling and reducing hormone levels. While this study focused on marine mussels, DEHP is a known endocrine disruptor in humans as well, and the findings illustrate how microplastics can release harmful chemicals that affect hormone systems.
Plastics underground: microplastic pollution in South African freshwater caves and associated biota
Scientists discovered microplastic contamination in underground freshwater caves in South Africa, including in cave water, sediment, and small crustaceans living there. This finding is notable because it shows microplastics have reached even remote, subterranean environments, and cave-dwelling animals are ingesting them.
Trophic-transferred hierarchical fragmentation of microplastics inducing distinct bio-adaptations via a microalgae-mussel-crab food chain
Researchers tracked how microplastics move through a three-level marine food chain -- from algae to mussels to crabs -- and found that the particles break into progressively smaller fragments at each stage. These smaller fragments penetrated deeper into animal tissues and caused increasing DNA damage at higher levels of the food chain, demonstrating how microplastic contamination intensifies as it moves toward species that humans eat.
Toxicological evaluation and metabolic profiling of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) after exposure to microplastics and acetochlor
Earthworms exposed to both UV-aged microplastics and the herbicide acetochlor suffered greater oxidative stress, tissue damage, and metabolic disruption than from either pollutant alone. Since earthworms are essential for healthy soil that grows our food, this combined toxicity from two common agricultural pollutants raises indirect concerns for the food supply and human health.
Editorial: Advances in marine environmental protection: challenges, solutions and perspectives
This editorial summarizes current challenges in marine environmental protection, including plastic pollution, climate change, and emerging threats like deep-sea mining. Ocean health is directly linked to human well-being, especially for coastal communities that depend on marine resources. The piece calls for stronger international cooperation to address pollution that crosses national boundaries.
Fragmentation and depolymerization of microplastics in the earthworm gut: A potential for microplastic bioremediation?
Researchers explored whether earthworms can break down microplastics in soil by passing them through their digestive systems. They found that earthworms fragmented and partially broke down polyethylene and biodegradable plastic particles, reducing their size and altering their chemical structure. This suggests earthworms could play a role in naturally reducing microplastic contamination in soil, though more research is needed to understand whether the smaller fragments pose their own risks.
Benzo[a]pyrene stress impacts adaptive strategies and ecological functions of earthworm intestinal viromes
This study examined how benzo[a]pyrene, a toxic chemical found in pollution, affects the viruses living in earthworm intestines and disrupts their ecological functions. While focused on earthworms rather than humans, the research is relevant because microplastics can carry chemicals like benzo[a]pyrene into soil ecosystems. The study shows how pollutant-laden microplastics could disrupt soil health and the organisms that maintain it.
Physiological and biochemical responses to caffeine and microplastics in Mytilus galloprovincialis
Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to caffeine and microplastics both separately and together to measure their combined effects. The combination caused greater oxidative stress and changes in cell function than either pollutant alone. While focused on mussels, the study is relevant to human health because mussels are widely eaten as seafood and can accumulate both microplastics and chemical contaminants.
Exploring the Impact of Contaminants of Emerging Concern on Fish and Invertebrates Physiology in the Mediterranean Sea
This study examines how emerging pollutants including pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics affect marine organisms in the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers used catsharks and mussels as indicator species to measure contamination levels and biological effects. The findings are relevant to human health because contaminated seafood from the Mediterranean is widely consumed across Europe.
Environmental fate of microplastics and common polymer additives in non-biodegradable plastic mulch applied agricultural soils
This review examines how plastic mulch films used in farming gradually break down and release both microplastics and chemical additives like phthalates and bisphenol A into agricultural soil. These chemicals have been found at concerning levels in farmland and can be taken up by crops, harm soil organisms like earthworms, and disrupt soil microbial communities, ultimately creating pathways for these toxins to enter our food.
Microplastic ingestion in mussels from the East Mediterranean Sea: Exploring its impacts in nature and controlled conditions
Mussels from fish farms in the eastern Mediterranean had the highest microplastic contamination, likely from plastic aquaculture equipment, while mussels from a Marine Protected Area had the lowest. The study found that higher microplastic levels in mussels were linked to measurable signs of oxidative stress, DNA damage, and nerve toxicity, showing that these filter-feeding shellfish -- commonly eaten by people -- are actively harmed by the plastic particles they ingest.
Reproduction, growth and oxidative stress in earthworm Eisenia andrei exposed to conventional and biodegradable mulching film microplastics
Earthworms exposed to microplastics from both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable PBAT mulch films showed signs of oxidative stress, though reproduction was not significantly affected. The biodegradable microplastics actually stimulated growth at lower concentrations but caused stress at higher levels, similar to conventional plastics. Since earthworms are essential for soil health, these effects could have broader consequences for agricultural ecosystems where plastic mulch films are widely used.
Bio-based microplastic polylactic acid exerts the similar toxic effects to traditional petroleum-based microplastic polystyrene in mussels
Researchers exposed mussels to bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics and traditional polystyrene microplastics and found that both caused similar levels of harm, including oxidative stress, immune disruption, and impaired feeding and respiration. PLA is often promoted as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastics, but this study shows it poses comparable ecological risks once it breaks down into microplastics in the ocean. The findings suggest that switching to biodegradable plastics alone will not solve the marine microplastic problem.
Bioaccumulation, transfer, and impacts of microplastics in aquatic food chains
Researchers tracked microplastics through an experimental aquatic food chain from algae to copepods to fish and found that the tiny particles transferred up each level, harming organisms at every step. Microplastics reduced algae growth, killed copepods, and changed fish behavior in ways that made them more vulnerable to predators. This demonstrates how microplastic pollution can cascade through entire ecosystems and potentially reach humans through seafood.
Ecotoxicity of Biodegradable Microplastics and Bio-based Microplastics: A Review of in vitro and in vivo Studies
This review examines whether "eco-friendly" biodegradable and bio-based plastics are truly safer than conventional plastics when they break down into microplastics. The findings show that many biodegradable plastics, including popular types like PLA and PBAT, can still cause harm to plants and aquatic organisms, suggesting that simply switching to biodegradable materials does not eliminate microplastic risks.
Simultaneous exposure to microplastics and heavy metal lead induces oxidative stress, histopathological damage, and immune dysfunction in marine mussel Mytilus coruscus
When marine mussels were exposed to both microplastics and the heavy metal lead together, the combined effect was worse than either pollutant alone. The combination caused more severe tissue damage, higher oxidative stress, and greater immune system disruption, which is concerning because in real ocean environments, microplastics and heavy metals commonly occur together.
Earthworms improve the rhizosphere micro-environment to mitigate the toxicity of microplastics to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Researchers found that adding earthworms to soil contaminated with microplastics helped protect tomato plants from the negative effects of the plastic particles. The earthworms improved soil structure, boosted beneficial microbe populations, and enhanced nutrient availability around the roots, suggesting that maintaining healthy soil ecosystems with earthworms could be a natural way to buffer crops against microplastic pollution.
Comparison of the potential toxicity induced by microplastics made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polylactic acid (PLA) on the earthworm Eisenia foetida
Researchers compared the toxicity of microplastics made from conventional PET plastic and biodegradable PLA plastic on earthworms. Surprisingly, the supposedly eco-friendly PLA particles caused more harm than PET, triggering oxidative stress, tissue damage, and behavioral changes in the worms. This challenges the assumption that bioplastics are always safer for soil organisms than traditional plastics.
Effects of ocean acidification and polystyrene microplastics on the oysters Crassostrea gigas: An integrated biomarker and metabolomic approach
Researchers exposed oysters to polystyrene microplastics of two sizes under both normal and acidified ocean conditions to simulate climate change. They found that ocean acidification and microplastics interacted in complex ways, with smaller microplastics under acidic conditions altering the oysters' metabolic profiles in their digestive organs. This study highlights that climate change may change how microplastics affect the shellfish many people eat.