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Papers
239 resultsShowing papers from Zhejiang University of Technology
ClearEnvironmental behaviors of microplastics in aquatic systems: A systematic review on degradation, adsorption, toxicity and biofilm under aging conditions
Aging processes like UV irradiation and physical abrasion alter microplastic surface properties, increasing their capacity to adsorb environmental pollutants while also enhancing leaching of toxic additives like phthalates, collectively amplifying the environmental toxicity of weathered microplastics.
The combination of microplastics and glyphosate affects the microbiome of soil inhabitant Enchytraeus crypticus
Researchers tested how microplastics and the common herbicide glyphosate affect soil health when present together. Biodegradable PLA plastic combined with glyphosate had the most damaging effects on both soil bacteria and the gut microbiome of soil worms, worse than conventional PET plastic. These results suggest that using biodegradable plastics alongside pesticides in agriculture may pose greater ecological risks than previously thought.
Physiological and biochemical effects of polystyrene micro/nano plastics on Arabidopsis thaliana
Experiments on the model plant Arabidopsis showed that polystyrene nano- and microplastics reduced seed germination, stunted growth, lowered chlorophyll levels, and triggered oxidative stress in roots, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing the most damage. These findings raise concerns about how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop health and ultimately food production.
Associations between microplastics in human feces and colorectal cancer risk
In a study of 258 colorectal cancer patients and 493 healthy controls, researchers found significantly higher levels of microplastics in the stool of cancer patients, with those in the highest exposure group having 11 times the odds of colorectal cancer. This is one of the first studies in humans to provide epidemiological evidence of a potential link between microplastic exposure and cancer risk, though more research is needed to determine if the relationship is causal.
Degradation of microplastics in the natural environment: A comprehensive review on process, mechanism, influencing factor and leaching behavior
This review examines how microplastics break down in the environment through physical, chemical, and biological processes, and what happens as they degrade. As microplastics age and fragment, they release chemical additives and dissolved organic matter that can be toxic, meaning degrading plastics may actually become more harmful to ecosystems and human health over time.
Increasing pesticide diversity impairs soil microbial functions
This study found that increasing the variety of pesticides used on farmland disrupts soil bacteria and accelerates the loss of important nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. While not directly about microplastics, the research shows how chemical pollutants in soil can destabilize microbial communities in ways similar to microplastic contamination. Adding nitrogen fertilizer helped counteract some of these negative effects.
Polystyrene microplastics and cypermethrin exposure interfered the complexity of antibiotic resistance genes and induced metabolic dysfunction in the gut of adult zebrafish
Zebrafish exposed to a combination of polystyrene microplastics and the pesticide cypermethrin showed more severe gut damage than from either pollutant alone, including loss of beneficial gut bacteria, growth of harmful microbes, and increased antibiotic resistance genes. This suggests that microplastics and pesticides together may disrupt gut health more than expected, which is relevant since humans encounter both pollutants through food and water.
Effects of microplastics accumulation and antibiotics contamination in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment
This study found that when aged PVC microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin are both present in wastewater treatment systems, they interact to make each other's harmful effects worse. The combination cut treatment efficiency in half and disrupted the microbes needed for wastewater processing, raising concerns about how microplastic pollution could undermine water treatment that protects public health.
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.
Phthalates and Their Impacts on Human Health
This review examines phthalates, chemicals widely used to make plastics flexible, and their harmful effects on human health as endocrine disruptors. Chronic exposure to phthalates has been linked to reproductive problems, developmental issues in children, and complications during pregnancy. Since phthalates are common additives in microplastics, understanding their toxicity is essential for assessing the full health risk of microplastic exposure.
p-Phenylenediamine Derivatives in Tap Water: Implications for Human Exposure
This study found seven types of p-phenylenediamine derivatives (PPDs) -- chemicals that come from tire rubber and other sources -- in tap water from two Chinese cities. While not microplastics themselves, PPDs are pollutants closely linked to tire-wear microplastics, and their presence in drinking water suggests another route of chemical exposure for humans from plastic and rubber degradation products.
How micro-/nano-plastics influence the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes - A review
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics help spread antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria -- a major global health threat. The tiny plastic particles can act as platforms where bacteria exchange DNA carrying drug-resistance instructions, potentially making infections harder to treat. The effect depends on the type, size, and concentration of plastics, and has been documented in sewage, livestock farms, and landfills.
Interactions between microplastics and contaminants: A review focusing on the effect of aging process
This review explains how aging and weathering change microplastics in ways that make them interact differently with environmental pollutants like heavy metals and pesticides. Aged microplastics tend to absorb more contaminants than fresh ones, and they can also release those pollutants under certain conditions. This is important for human health because the microplastics we encounter in food and water are typically weathered, meaning they may carry higher loads of toxic substances than laboratory studies suggest.
Emerging organic contaminants in sewage sludge: Current status, technological challenges and regulatory perspectives
This review examines how sewage sludge accumulates harmful organic pollutants including microplastics, hormone-disrupting chemicals, and pharmaceutical residues that threaten the environment and human health. Current treatment methods struggle to fully break down these contaminants, and the byproducts of treatment may carry their own ecological risks, highlighting the need for better technology and stronger regulations.
Effects of aging on environmental behavior of plastic additives: Migration, leaching, and ecotoxicity
This review examines how the aging and weathering of microplastics in the environment causes chemical additives like plasticizers, flame retardants, and antioxidants to leach out. As microplastics age through UV exposure, heat, and biological activity, they release these additives more readily, increasing the toxic risk to organisms. The findings are important because they show that older, weathered microplastics found in the real world may be more chemically hazardous than fresh plastics used in most lab studies.
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity of microplastics in the human body and health implications
This review traces how microplastics move through the human body after being swallowed or inhaled, covering absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. An adult may consume tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year through table salt and drinking water alone, and once inside, smaller particles can spread to different organs. The findings highlight that both the plastics themselves and the chemicals attached to them could pose health risks, though more research is needed to understand the full impact.
Exploring the phytotoxicity mechanisms of PET nanoplastics and 6:2 FTSA in water hyacinth under individual and combined exposure scenarios
This study examined how PET nanoplastics interact with a common industrial chemical substitute (6:2 FTSA) in water hyacinth plants. The combination of pollutants caused more severe stress to the plants than either one alone, suppressing photosynthesis and forcing the plants to redirect energy toward self-defense. While focused on aquatic plants, the findings are relevant because they show how microplastics combined with other pollutants can amplify environmental damage in waterways.
Quantification of microplastics released from plastic food containers during rinsing and migration by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Researchers measured microplastics released from plastic food containers during normal rinsing and when exposed to different food types and temperatures. All containers released microplastics matching their material, and high-fat foods, extreme temperatures, and longer exposure times increased the amount released. This study confirms that plastic food packaging is an important and direct source of microplastic exposure for people through their everyday meals.
Trade-offs in microplastic-adsorbed iopamidol degradation by UV-AOPs: Molecular-level insights into deiodination pathways versus iodinated disinfection by-products formation
This study examined how a common medical contrast agent called iopamidol behaves when it sticks to microplastics during UV water treatment. The researchers found that different UV treatment methods create a trade-off: one approach breaks down the chemical more effectively but produces toxic byproducts, while another retains harmful iodine compounds. The findings matter because they show that microplastics in water treatment systems can complicate the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants.
The endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial crosstalk involved in nanoplastics and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate co-exposure induced the damage to mouse mammary epithelial cells
Researchers found that nanoplastics combined with DEHP, a common plastic softener, caused severe damage to mouse mammary (breast) gland cells by disrupting communication between two key cell structures: the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. The combined exposure was worse than either substance alone, triggering cell death, inflammation, and oxidative stress. This is concerning because people are typically exposed to both nanoplastics and plastic additives like DEHP simultaneously through food and consumer products.
Environmental occurrences, fate, and impacts of microplastics
Microplastics are distributed across oceans, freshwater, sediments, soils, and the atmosphere, with evidence of bioaccumulation and toxic effects in organisms, though current understanding of their fate, transport, and impacts in terrestrial environments remains far less developed than for marine settings.
Unveiling the optical and molecular characteristics of aging microplastics derived dissolved organic matter transformed by UV/chlor(am)ine oxidation and its potential for disinfection byproducts formation
Researchers studied how UV light and common water disinfection chemicals break down microplastics in water and found that different treatment methods produce different types of dissolved organic matter from the plastic. Some treatment combinations, particularly UV with chlorine, created byproducts that could form harmful disinfection byproducts when water is later chlorinated. This is important because it means water treatment processes might unintentionally create new toxic compounds from the microplastics already present in water.
Preparation of PBAT microplastics and their potential toxicity to zebrafish embryos and juveniles
This study tested the toxicity of PBAT biodegradable microplastics on zebrafish embryos and young fish, finding they impaired swimming behavior even though they did not obviously affect body development. The biodegradable microplastics persisted in the fish's bodies after ingestion. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are completely safe, since they can still form microplastics that harm aquatic life and may enter the human food chain through fish.
Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge on the antibiotic resistome in downstream aquatic environments: a mini review
This review summarizes how wastewater treatment plants release antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes into rivers and lakes through their treated water. Current treatment processes cannot fully remove these resistance factors, allowing them to spread in downstream water bodies and potentially reach humans through drinking water and the food chain. The review is relevant to microplastics research because microplastics in wastewater can serve as surfaces where resistant bacteria grow and spread.