Papers

A systematic review of the potential neurotoxicity of micro-and nanoplastics: the known and unknown

This critical review of 234 studies found that micro- and nanoplastics can reach the brain via olfactory translocation or by crossing the blood-brain barrier, where they may cause neuroinflammation, oxidative damage, and behavioral changes in animal models. The evidence raises significant concerns about potential neurotoxic effects of chronic microplastic exposure in humans, though major knowledge gaps remain.

A fishy gut feeling – current knowledge on gut microbiota in teleosts

This review summarizes what scientists know about the community of bacteria living in fish guts and how diet, environmental conditions, and pollutants shape that community. Microplastics and other pollutants can disrupt the gut microbiome in fish, harming their immune function and overall health. Since fish are a major food source for humans, understanding these effects matters for food safety.

Animal migration in the Anthropocene: threats and mitigation options

This review examines the many human-caused threats facing migratory animals worldwide, including habitat loss, climate change, pollution, disease, and overexploitation. While broadly focused on wildlife conservation, the paper is relevant to microplastic research because plastic pollution is identified as one of the threats affecting migratory species across aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments. The review emphasizes that these threats often interact in unpredictable ways, making the combined impact worse than any single stressor alone.

ROS-dependent degeneration of human neurons induced by environmentally relevant levels of micro- and nanoplastics of diverse shapes and forms

Scientists exposed human brain cells to micro- and nanoplastics at levels similar to what people encounter in the real world, and found they caused oxidative stress (a type of cell damage) and neurodegeneration -- the death of nerve cells. The damage was worse when the plastics carried bacterial biofilms, which they often do in the environment. This suggests that even small amounts of inhaled plastic particles could pose a risk to brain health.

Nanoplastics and Neurodegeneration in ALS

This review explores how nanoplastics -- tiny plastic particles that can cross the blood-brain barrier -- may contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Nanoplastics trigger brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial damage, and they disrupt the gut-brain connection, all of which are key features of ALS progression.

Microplastic Particles Contain Ice Nucleation Sites That Can Be Inhibited by Atmospheric Aging

Scientists discovered that some microplastic particles can trigger ice crystal formation in clouds, a process that influences weather patterns and rainfall. However, when the plastics were exposed to UV light and ozone (simulating atmospheric aging), their ice-forming ability decreased, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the atmosphere may behave differently from fresh particles.

Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol‐Mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust

Researchers created a plant-based water filter using wood sawdust coated with polyphenols (natural plant compounds) that captures over 99.9% of nano- and microplastics from water in a single pass. The filter works on many types and sizes of plastics and can be cleaned and reused multiple times. This bio-based approach could offer a practical, low-cost solution for removing plastic contamination from drinking water.

Quantitative and rapid detection of nanoplastics labeled by luminescent metal phenolic networks using surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Researchers developed a detection method using luminescent metal-phenolic network tags combined with portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) that can identify and quantify multiple nanoplastic types (polystyrene, PMMA, PLA) as small as 50 nm at concentrations as low as 0.1 µg/mL in field-deployable settings.

The effects of microplastics on ionoregulatory processes in the gills of freshwater fish and invertebrates: A prospective review

This review examines how microplastics can disrupt the ability of freshwater fish and invertebrate gills to regulate essential ions like sodium, calcium, and chloride. While direct evidence is still limited, the studies suggest that microplastics cause mucus buildup, tissue damage, and oxidative stress in gills, which could impair the health of aquatic organisms that are part of the human food chain.

The Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer (ToMEx) 2.0

This paper describes an update to the Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer (ToMEx), a public database of microplastic toxicity studies used by researchers worldwide for risk assessment. The updated database roughly doubled in size, yet key trends held steady: smaller particles tend to be more toxic, and there is still a lack of dose-response data needed to set safe exposure limits. This tool is important because it helps scientists and regulators determine what levels of microplastic contamination might actually harm human health and ecosystems.

Rapid On-Site and Sensitive Detection of Microplastics Using Zirconium(IV)-Assisted SERS Label

Researchers developed a rapid, portable detection method using specialized spectroscopy that can identify polystyrene microplastics at concentrations as low as 1 part per billion in water. The technique maintained over 90% accuracy when tested in real tap water samples. Affordable, field-ready detection tools like this are essential for monitoring microplastic contamination in food and water systems to protect human health.

Hope or Despair Revisited: Assessing Progress and New Challenges in Global Fisheries

This review assesses the state of global fisheries a decade after major concerns were raised about overfishing and environmental threats. Despite progress in international policies, the overall status of fisheries has not improved, with plastic pollution identified as one of several growing threats alongside climate change and deep-sea mining. The findings are relevant to microplastics research because contaminated fisheries mean higher microplastic exposure for the billions of people who depend on seafood as a food source.

Microplastics: Occurrences, treatment methods, regulations and foreseen environmental impacts

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution, covering where these particles are found, how they are treated and regulated, and what environmental impacts are anticipated. Researchers found that current wastewater treatment methods are often insufficient to fully remove microplastics, and regulatory frameworks remain inconsistent across countries. The study emphasizes the urgent need for improved treatment technologies and coordinated global policies to address this growing environmental challenge.

Nanoplastics induce more severe multigenerational life-history trait changes and metabolic responses in marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis: Comparison with microplastics

Researchers compared the effects of nanoplastics versus microplastics on marine rotifers across multiple generations. They found that smaller nanoplastics (70 nm) caused significantly more severe harm to population growth, lifespan, and reproduction than larger particles, with negative effects persisting across generations. The study suggests that nanoplastics may pose a greater long-term threat to marine organisms than microplastics due to their ability to disrupt metabolism and nutrient accumulation.

Toxicity mechanisms of polystyrene microplastics in marine mussels revealed by high-coverage quantitative metabolomics using chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Scientists used an advanced metabolomics technique to study how polystyrene microplastics affect marine mussels at the molecular level, identifying nearly 3,600 metabolic compounds. The study found that microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations disrupted amino acid metabolism, leading to oxidative stress and immune system effects. Encouragingly, after a week-long recovery period, the mussels largely returned to normal, suggesting these toxic effects may be reversible.

A Call to Include Plastics in the Global Environment in the Class of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants

This viewpoint paper argues that plastics in the environment should be formally classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants, the same category as chemicals like DDT and mercury. The authors present evidence that plastics meet all three criteria: they resist degradation, accumulate in organisms and food chains, and release harmful chemicals. Reclassifying plastics this way could trigger stronger regulatory protections worldwide.

Exploring multiple stressor effects with Ecopath, Ecosim, and Ecospace: Research designs, modeling techniques, and future directions

This review examined how the popular Ecopath with Ecosim modeling platform has been used to study multiple environmental stressors in ecosystems, including pollution, climate change, and invasive species. Researchers found that most studies focused on single stressors and rarely addressed microplastic pollution or combined effects of multiple threats. The paper calls for more integrated modeling approaches that capture how different stressors interact in real ecosystems.

Toxicological Effects of Ingested Microplastics on Human Health

Trophic transfer of micro- and nanoplastics and toxicity induced by long-term exposure of nanoplastics along the rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis)-marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) food chain

In a food chain study, researchers found that the smallest nanoplastics (70 nm) accumulated in fish at nearly double the rate of larger microplastics when passed through a prey organism first. Long-term exposure through the food chain caused liver inflammation, disrupted fat and energy metabolism, and impaired reproduction in the fish. This shows how tiny plastics can build up and cause harm as they move through the food web, which is relevant to humans who eat seafood.

Warming temperatures exacerbate effects of microplastics in a widespread zooplankton species.

This study found that warmer water temperatures made microplastics significantly more harmful to Daphnia (water fleas), reducing their survival and reproduction at 20 and 24 degrees Celsius but not at 12 degrees. The combination of warming temperatures and microplastic pollution was worse than either stressor alone. As climate change warms lakes and rivers, this research suggests that the toxic effects of microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems, and the food chains humans depend on, may get worse.

The role of species ecology in predicting Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in wild and domesticated mammals globally

This large-scale study analyzed Toxoplasma gondii infection rates across 533 wild mammal species worldwide, finding that infection risk increases with body size, lifespan, and meat-eating behavior. While not about microplastics, the research methods for tracking how environmental pathogens move through ecosystems are relevant, since microplastics can transport parasites and pathogens through similar ecological pathways. Understanding these infection routes helps explain how environmental contamination, including from microplastics, can affect wildlife and ultimately human health.

A fluorescence approach for an online measurement technique of atmospheric microplastics

Scientists developed a fluorescence-based instrument that can detect airborne microplastic particles in real time, rather than requiring slow laboratory analysis. The tool successfully identified common plastic types like PET, polyethylene, and polypropylene as individual particles in the air. This technology could help researchers better understand how much microplastic people are actually breathing in, which is important for assessing respiratory health risks from airborne plastic pollution.

Plastics’ circular economy for the Galapagos Islands? Exploring plastics governance with implications for social and ocean equity in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Researchers explored the feasibility of implementing a plastics circular economy in the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site facing significant marine plastic pollution. They examined the governance structures needed to address plastic waste while balancing conservation goals with the needs of local communities. The study highlights how remote island communities in the global South face unique challenges in managing plastic pollution equitably.

A systematic review of the potential neurotoxicity of micro-and nanoplastics: the known and unknown

This systematic review summarizes 234 research studies on how micro- and nanoplastics may harm the brain and nervous system. Evidence from animal and lab studies suggests these particles can reach the brain, potentially through the nose or by crossing the blood-brain barrier, and may cause inflammation and damage to nerve cells.