Papers

Artificial intelligence in microplastic detection and pollution control

This review examines how artificial intelligence is being combined with spectroscopy and imaging techniques to dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of microplastic detection in the environment. Better detection methods are essential for tracking the sources and spread of microplastic pollution that ultimately affects human health through contaminated food and water.

Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics Combined With Antibiotics in the Aquatic Environment: Recent Developments and Prospects

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in water environments, finding that microplastics can absorb antibiotics onto their surfaces and carry them over long distances. When aquatic organisms encounter these antibiotic-laden microplastics, the combined toxicity can be worse than either pollutant alone. Microplastics also promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, which is a growing public health concern.

The Research Status, Potential Hazards and Toxicological Mechanisms of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics in the Environment

This review summarizes the environmental presence and toxic effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which are widely used in human and animal medicine. These antibiotics can harm a range of organisms through mechanisms like oxidative stress and DNA damage. While not directly about microplastics, it is relevant because microplastics can carry adsorbed antibiotics through the environment, potentially amplifying their spread and impact.

Synergistic dual-defect band engineering for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of microplastics <i>via</i> Nb-induced oxygen vacancies in SnO₂ quantum dots

Researchers engineered a new material using niobium-doped tin oxide quantum dots that can break down polyethylene microplastics in water using visible light. The material works through a photocatalytic process, meaning sunlight can power the degradation of microplastics in real-world water conditions. This technology could offer a practical way to clean microplastic-contaminated water sources.

Photocatalytic Technologies for Transformation and Degradation of Microplastics in the Environment: Current Achievements and Future Prospects

This review examines photocatalytic technologies that use light-activated materials to break down microplastics in the environment. Various catalysts can generate reactive oxygen species that degrade plastic polymers into simpler, less harmful molecules. The authors assess the strengths and limitations of different photocatalytic approaches and highlight the need for scalable solutions that work under real-world environmental conditions.

Antibiotic sorption onto MPs in terrestrial environment: a critical review of the transport, bioaccumulation, ecotoxicological effects and prospects

This review examines how microplastics in soil absorb and transport antibiotics, creating complex pollutants that can spread antibiotic resistance genes through the environment. When antibiotic-carrying microplastics are taken up by plants or soil organisms, the resistance genes can eventually reach humans through the food chain. The authors highlight the need for better strategies to reduce microplastic contamination in soil to help slow the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance.

Global microplastic fiber pollution from domestic laundry

This study estimates that global laundry releases 5.69 million tons of microplastic fibers per year, with machine washing responsible for about 94% of the total. Asia produces the most fiber pollution at 3.71 million tons annually, partly because wastewater treatment there captures fewer fibers. These tiny plastic fibers from our clothes end up in waterways, soil, and eventually in the food and water people consume.

Environmental source, fate, and toxicity of microplastics

This comprehensive review covers the sources, environmental fate, and toxic effects of microplastics across both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The study highlights that microplastics are now found virtually everywhere on Earth and can harm organisms through physical damage, chemical leaching, and by acting as carriers for other pollutants.

Transport and clogging of microplastic particles in porous media: Microscale experiments and statistical analysis

This study used microscale experiments to observe how microplastic particles move through and clog porous materials like sand and gravel, which are commonly used in water filtration systems. The researchers found that the size of microplastic particles relative to the pore openings is the main factor determining whether clogging occurs. These findings matter because they help predict how microplastics travel through soil and water filters, affecting whether they reach drinking water sources.

Deep learning-driven behavioral analysis reveals adaptive responses in Drosophila offspring after long-term parental microplastic exposure

Researchers used deep learning to track the behavior of fruit fly larvae whose parents had been exposed to polystyrene microplastics over extended periods. They found that while short-term parental exposure had no measurable effect on offspring, long-term exposure produced larvae that crawled faster and showed enhanced locomotor abilities. The study suggests that prolonged microplastic exposure in parents may trigger adaptive responses in their offspring, an example of transgenerational effects.

Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants in the food chain: Assessing the combined toxicological effects and bioavailability

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics act as carriers for environmental pollutants including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and microbial agents as they move through food chains. Researchers detail how polymer type, particle size, and environmental conditions influence the binding and release of these contaminants. The study highlights that the combined toxicity of microplastics together with the pollutants they carry may be greater than either would cause alone.

Global insights into microplastic contamination in marine life: detection methods and current status

This review provides a global overview of microplastic contamination in marine organisms, covering how these particles are ingested, accumulate through food chains, and affect marine life. Researchers summarize detection methods including spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques, evaluating their strengths and limitations. The study emphasizes that while significant progress has been made, major challenges remain in detecting nanoplastics, standardizing methods, and understanding long-term health effects for both marine life and seafood consumers.

Enhancing spinach growth and soil microbial health under sulfadiazine and polypropylene exposure through zinc fortification

Researchers found that zinc oxide nanoparticles can effectively reduce the toxic effects of antibiotics and polypropylene microplastics on spinach plants grown in contaminated soil. The zinc treatment lowered oxidative stress markers by 18-28% while boosting the activity of protective enzymes in roots and shoots. The study suggests that zinc supplementation could be a practical strategy for improving crop health in soils polluted with microplastics and pharmaceutical residues.

A review of microplastics in the aquatic environmental: distribution, transport, ecotoxicology, and toxicological mechanisms

This review examines how microplastics are distributed, transported, and accumulate throughout aquatic environments, and the toxicological effects they have on aquatic organisms. The study suggests that microplastics can affect human health through the food chain, but notes that understanding of combined toxicity mechanisms remains very limited. The authors identify significant knowledge gaps and call for more systematic environmental risk assessments across multiple species.

Microplastic Fiber Release by Laundry: A Comparative Study of Hand-Washing and Machine-Washing

Researchers compared microplastic fiber release from hand-washing versus machine-washing of textiles. Machine-washing released roughly 13 times more fibers by count than hand-washing, though hand-washing produced longer fibers on average, and factors like detergent use, soaking time, and washboard use influenced fiber release during hand-washing.

Chronic exposure to polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics caused sex-specific effects in the model insect, <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Researchers exposed fruit flies to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) microplastics over 20 days and observed different effects depending on sex. Males showed more significant changes in energy metabolism and movement, while females experienced greater impacts on reproductive output. The study suggests that microplastic exposure can cause sex-specific biological effects even in small model organisms.

Current development and future challenges in microplastic detection techniques: A bibliometrics-based analysis and review

Researchers conducted a bibliometrics-based review of current microplastic detection techniques and their limitations. The study found that different environmental settings require different analytical methods and that current instrument limitations can lead to over- or underestimation of microplastic abundance, highlighting the need for continued development of more accurate detection technologies.

Effects of PET microplastics on the physiology of Drosophila

Researchers used Drosophila fruit flies as a model to study the physiological effects of PET microplastics, finding that ingestion affected reproduction, lifespan, and gut function. The study suggests that even common plastic types found in food packaging can have measurable biological effects when consumed by living organisms.

Microplastic Pollution in the Soil Environment: Characteristics, Influencing Factors, and Risks

This review systematically examined the characteristics, influencing factors, and environmental risks of microplastic pollution in soil environments. The study notes that compared to aquatic systems, research on soil microplastics is relatively lacking, and highlights that agricultural practices, waste disposal, and atmospheric deposition are major pathways for microplastic entry into soils.

Sex dimorphism and hormesis response to polystyrene microplastic exposure in kinematics and metabolism of Drosophila model based on deep learning

Researchers used fruit flies as a model organism to study how polystyrene microplastics affect insect behavior and metabolism, using deep learning to track movement patterns. They found notable differences between male and female responses, and observed a hormesis effect where low doses stimulated activity while higher doses were inhibitory. The study provides new insights into how microplastics may affect insect populations with potential implications for broader ecosystems.

Effects of pore water flow rate on microplastics transport in saturated porous media: Spatial distribution analysis

Researchers studied how water flow rate affects the transport and retention of polystyrene microplastics in saturated porous media using a two-dimensional flow cell. They found that higher flow rates reduced overall particle retention but created more clustered distribution patterns in the pore spaces. The study provides important insights into how microplastics migrate through soil and groundwater systems, which has implications for understanding subsurface contamination.

Behavioral toxicological tracking analysis of Drosophila larvae exposed to polystyrene microplastics based on machine learning

Researchers used machine learning-based behavioral tracking to analyze how polystyrene microplastics affect Drosophila fruit fly larvae locomotion and behavior. They found measurable changes in larval movement patterns after microplastic exposure, using kinematic analysis methods. The study demonstrates that automated behavioral analysis can serve as a sensitive tool for detecting the subtle toxic effects of microplastic exposure in model organisms.

The impact of microplastics on insect physiology and the indication of hormesis

Environmental distribution, transport and ecotoxicity of microplastics: A review

This review covers the environmental distribution and transport of microplastics across marine, freshwater, soil, and atmospheric compartments, and analyzes their toxicity to organisms at different trophic levels including potential effects on human health.