Papers

A global estimate of multiecosystem photosynthesis losses under microplastic pollution

This meta-analysis pooled data from over 3,200 measurements and found that microplastic pollution reduces photosynthesis by 7–12% in plants and algae worldwide. This matters because less photosynthesis means lower crop yields and disrupted ecosystems, which can ultimately affect food security and human nutrition.

Biodegradable plastics in soils: sources, degradation, and effects

This review examines whether biodegradable plastics are truly a safe alternative to conventional plastics in soil. While they do break down faster, the degradation process releases microplastics and potentially toxic byproducts that can harm soil organisms, reduce plant growth, and disrupt the microbial communities that maintain soil health.

Threats to Terrestrial Plants from Emerging Nanoplastics

This meta-analysis examines how nanoplastics affect terrestrial plants, finding impacts on growth, nutrient uptake, and cellular function. The research matters for human health because plants that absorb nanoplastics from contaminated soil could transfer these particles into fruits and vegetables that end up on our plates.

Microplastics derived from plastic mulch films and their carrier function effect on the environmental risk of pesticides

This review explains how plastic mulch films used in farming break down into microplastics that can absorb and carry pesticides, making the pesticides more toxic to living organisms. The combination of microplastics and pesticides is especially concerning because microplastics can change how pesticides behave in soil, potentially increasing the amount of harmful chemicals that enter the food chain.

Distribution and Biological Response of Nanoplastics in Constructed Wetland Microcosms: Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Photoaging

This study looked at how sunlight aging changes the behavior of nanoplastics in wetland ecosystems. Researchers found that sun-aged nanoplastics accumulated differently in plants, water, and soil compared to fresh ones, and caused stronger biological responses in wetland organisms, suggesting that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may be more harmful than previously thought.

Bioavailability and phytotoxicity of micro/nanoplastics to aquatic plants: Trends, environmental drivers and mechanisms

This meta-analysis found that micro- and nanoplastics cause significant harm to aquatic plants, reducing their biomass and chlorophyll content through oxidative stress. Polyethylene was especially damaging, cutting plant biomass by over 42%. When plastic pollution harms the base of aquatic food chains, the effects can ripple upward through ecosystems that support both wildlife and human food sources.

Effects of microplastics on the terrestrial environment: A critical review

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic contamination in land-based environments, covering sources, fate, and effects on soil and the organisms that depend on it. Microplastics in soil can interact with pesticides, heavy metals, and other pollutants, acting as carriers that move toxins through the food web and potentially up to humans. The authors note that compared to ocean research, the effects of microplastics on land ecosystems are much less studied and urgently need more attention.

Surface characteristics and adsorption properties of polypropylene microplastics by ultraviolet irradiation and natural aging

This study examined how aging and UV light change the surface properties of polypropylene microplastics and their ability to absorb other pollutants. UV-aged microplastics absorbed significantly more of a common dye pollutant, while naturally aged particles absorbed less due to biological film buildup. Understanding how microplastics change over time in the environment matters because aged particles may carry different levels of harmful chemicals than fresh ones.

Potential toxicity of nanoplastics to fish and aquatic invertebrates: Current understanding, mechanistic interpretation, and meta-analysis

Nanoplastics significantly reduced survival, behavior, and reproduction of fish and aquatic invertebrates by 56%, 24%, and 36% respectively, while increasing oxidative stress by 72% and decreasing antioxidant defenses by 24%, with effects influenced by particle size, functional groups, and concentration.

Toxicity Mechanisms of Nanoplastics on Crop Growth, Interference of Phyllosphere Microbes, and Evidence for Foliar Penetration and Translocation

Researchers exposed tomato plants to nanoplastics with different surface charges and found that positively charged particles caused the most damage, including stunted growth, increased stress responses, and disruption of the leaf microbiome. The nanoplastics penetrated through leaves and traveled to the roots, demonstrating that atmospheric plastic pollution can contaminate crops from above. This is a concern for food safety, as nanoplastics accumulating in edible plants could be a route of human exposure.

Environmental occurrence, fate, impact, and potential solution of tire microplastics: Similarities and differences with tire wear particles

This review examines tire microplastics, one of the most abundant types of microplastics in the environment, which come from tire wear on roads, recycled tire rubber, and tire repair dust. These particles carry a complex mix of chemicals including heavy metals and organic pollutants that can harm aquatic and soil organisms. Since tire microplastics end up in waterways and soil near roads, they represent a significant but often overlooked source of human microplastic exposure.

Transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in lettuce triggered by microplastics-stress

Researchers grew lettuce in water containing polystyrene microplastics and found that the particles accumulated in root tips and leaf veins, causing water loss stress and changes in gene expression. The plants responded by activating stress defense systems and altering their metabolism, including increased production of protective compounds in root secretions. This study provides molecular-level evidence that microplastics can stress food crops and change their biology, raising questions about the safety and nutritional quality of vegetables grown in contaminated environments.

Near-complete depolymerization of polyesters with nano-dispersed enzymes

Researchers developed a method to embed tiny enzyme particles inside biodegradable plastics, enabling the plastics to break down almost completely in ordinary compost and tap water within days. This approach achieved up to 98% conversion of the plastic back to small molecules, avoiding the creation of microplastic fragments that occur with conventional degradation. The technology could help solve the microplastic pollution problem by ensuring that biodegradable plastics actually decompose fully rather than fragmenting into harmful microplastic particles.

Plastic takeaway food containers may cause human intestinal damage in routine life usage: Microplastics formation and cytotoxic effect

Plastic takeaway food containers released hundreds of thousands of microplastics per square centimeter when filled with hot water, with polystyrene containers releasing the most. Both the microplastic particles and the chemical substances leached from the containers damaged human intestinal cells in lab tests, reducing cell survival and disrupting energy metabolism. This suggests that everyday use of plastic food containers -- especially with hot food and drinks -- exposes people to potentially harmful levels of microplastics.

Impacts of microplastics on terrestrial plants: A critical review

This review examines how microplastics affect land-based plants, finding that they can alter soil structure, disrupt beneficial soil microbes, and reduce plant growth. Microplastics also carry toxic chemicals like plasticizers and heavy metals that can be taken up by plant roots and enter the food chain. The findings raise concerns about human health since contaminated crops could be a hidden source of microplastic and chemical exposure in our diets.

Nano- and Microplastics Increase the Occurrence of Bacterial Wilt in Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.)

This study found that tiny nano- and microplastic particles in soil made tomato plants significantly more vulnerable to bacterial wilt disease. The smallest nanoplastics (30 nm) more than doubled the disease rate by disrupting the plant's immune defenses and altering soil bacteria, raising concerns about how plastic pollution in farmland could threaten food crop health.

Tire wear particles: Trends from bibliometric analysis, environmental distribution with meta-analysis, and implications

Bibliometric analysis showed tire wear particle research is concentrated in Europe and North America despite large vehicle populations in Asia and Africa. Meta-analysis revealed that tire wear particle concentrations varied greatly by country and environmental medium, with biotoxicity, environmental distribution, and human health risks identified as the current research hotspots.

Interaction of Microplastics with Antibiotics in Aquatic Environment: Distribution, Adsorption, and Toxicity

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in waterways, finding that microplastics can absorb antibiotics from the water and change their availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Critically, microplastics also provide surfaces where antibiotic resistance genes can accumulate and spread among bacteria. This is concerning for human health because it means microplastics in water could be accelerating the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections.

Polystyrene microplastics trigger adiposity in mice by remodeling gut microbiota and boosting fatty acid synthesis

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics at relatively low concentrations caused weight gain and excess fat accumulation in mice by reshaping their gut bacteria. The altered gut microbiome boosted fatty acid production, increased appetite, and lowered physical activity in the exposed mice. This finding is significant because it suggests everyday levels of microplastic exposure could contribute to obesity through changes in gut bacteria and metabolism.

Mechanochemical Formation of Poly(melamine-formaldehyde) Microplastic Fibers During Abrasion of Cleaning Sponges

Melamine foam cleaning sponges -- commonly sold as "magic erasers" -- release millions of microplastic fibers during normal use, a source of indoor microplastic pollution that was previously unrecognized. A single gram of sponge wear can produce up to 6.5 million tiny plastic fibers, and the study estimates global sponge use could release 4.9 trillion microplastic fibers total. Since these sponges are used on kitchen and household surfaces, this represents a direct route of microplastic exposure in the home.

Capturing, enriching and detecting nanoplastics in water based on optical manipulation, surface-enhanced Raman scattering and microfluidics

Tris(2,4-di-<i>tert</i>-butylphenyl) Phosphate Is the Key Toxicant in Aged Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics to Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) Roots

Scientists identified a specific chemical additive called Irgafos 168-ox as the main toxic substance released from aged PVC microplastics, causing oxidative stress and reduced growth in wheat roots. This additive was more harmful than other PVC-derived chemicals, and combining multiple additives made the damage worse. The research shows that the chemical additives leaching from microplastics in soil may be more dangerous to food crops than the plastic particles themselves.

Interactions between Nanoplastics and Antibiotics: Implications for Nanoplastics Aggregation in Aquatic Environments

This study examined how common antibiotics interact with nanoplastics in water, finding that antibiotics can cause nanoplastics to clump together into larger particles. The effect depends on water acidity, plastic type, and how much organic matter is present. These interactions could change how nanoplastics behave in the environment, potentially affecting where they accumulate and how toxic they become in waterways that supply drinking water.

Detection and characterization of microplastics and nanoplastics in biological samples