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Papers
125 resultsShowing papers from Université Paris-Saclay
ClearSoil pollution in the European Union – An outlook
This review assesses the state of soil pollution across the European Union, finding that contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, and emerging pollutants like microplastics is widespread but poorly monitored. The authors call for standardized measurement methods and updated regulations, noting that soil pollution can affect human health through contaminated crops and drinking water.
Degradation and environmental assessment of compostable packaging mixed with biowaste in full-scale industrial composting conditions
Researchers ran a full-scale composting trial incorporating certified compostable plastics into household biowaste, finding that the materials lost 98% of their mass within four months with no adverse effects on compost safety, soil fertility, or crop growth, and a lower environmental impact than incineration for most indicators.
Stability and dispersibility of microplastics in experimental exposure medium and their dimensional characterization by SMLS, SAXS, Raman microscopy, and SEM
Scientists tested how microplastics behave when suspended in biological fluids containing proteins, which is closer to real-world conditions inside the body. They found that protein coatings on microplastic surfaces actually promoted the formation of even smaller nanoplastic debris over time. This matters for human health because these secondary nanoplastics may be small enough to cross biological barriers and enter cells more easily.
Current challenges on the widespread adoption of new bio-based fertilizers: insights to move forward toward more circular food systems
This review examines the challenges of adopting bio-based fertilizers made from food and agricultural waste as replacements for synthetic mineral fertilizers. While bio-based fertilizers can improve soil health and reduce reliance on finite resources, barriers include inconsistent nutrient content, concerns about contaminants like microplastics and heavy metals in waste-derived products, and the need for farmer-friendly application methods. The study is relevant because sewage sludge used in some fertilizers is a known source of microplastic contamination in farmland.
Regulatory assessment of nano-enabled health products in public health interest. Position of the scientific advisory board of the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products
The French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines reviewed the regulatory landscape for health products containing nanomaterials, including drugs and medical devices. They found that the enormous diversity of nanomaterials and their unique properties create significant challenges for consistent regulatory assessment across countries. The report recommends international harmonization of regulatory practices to better evaluate the risk-benefit balance of nano-enabled health products.
Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications
This study used data from 128 countries to project future plastic pollution levels based on population growth, wealth, and technology. The researchers found that plastic pollution follows a curve where it rises with economic growth but could decline once countries reach a certain development level. The projections suggest that without policy changes, global plastic pollution and the resulting microplastic contamination will continue to increase significantly.
Impacts of microplastics and the associated plastisphere on physiological, biochemical, genetic expression and gut microbiota of the filter-feeder amphioxus
Researchers exposed filter-feeding amphioxus to weathered microplastics colonized by natural marine biofilms and found significant impacts on physiology, biochemistry, and gut microbiota under starvation conditions. The weathered plastics with their attached microbial communities caused more disruption than pristine particles typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microplastic pollution, complete with its biofilm coating, may pose greater risks to marine filter feeders than laboratory experiments usually indicate.
A Synthesis of Global Coastal Ocean Greenhouse Gas Fluxes
This large-scale study measured greenhouse gas exchanges between the coastal ocean and atmosphere, finding that while coastal waters absorb carbon dioxide, they also release nitrous oxide and methane that offset much of that climate benefit. While focused on greenhouse gases rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because climate change and ocean chemistry changes affect how microplastics behave in marine environments. Warming oceans and changing chemistry could influence how microplastics break down and move through the food chain.
Ecological Toxicity, Oxidative Stress and Impacts of Microplastics on Fish Gills
This review summarizes research on how microplastic exposure damages fish gills, a critical organ for breathing, waste removal, and maintaining body chemistry. Researchers found that microplastics cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, and structural changes to gill tissue, which can impair blood parameters and overall fish health. The findings highlight that gill damage from microplastics may be a widespread concern for freshwater and marine fish populations.
Microplastic Detection in Soil Amended With Municipal Solid Waste Composts as Revealed by Transmission Electronic Microscopy and Pyrolysis/GC/MS
Researchers developed a method combining soil fractionation, transmission electron microscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography to detect microplastics in agricultural soils amended with municipal solid waste compost. They successfully identified plastic fragments even in fine soil fractions below 200 micrometers by using titanium and barium as chemical tracers from the original polymer production. The study demonstrates that microplastics from compost persist in soil across multiple size fractions after years of repeated application.
Engineering Polymer Interfaces: A Review toward Controlling Triboelectric Surface Charge
Researchers reviewed how modifying the surface properties of polymer insulators can enhance their ability to generate electrical charge through contact, a principle used in triboelectric nanogenerators. They found that altering a polymer's mechanical, thermal, chemical, and surface texture properties can directly boost charge generation. The study provides a roadmap for engineering more efficient polymer-based devices that convert mechanical energy into electricity.
Soil Science Challenges in a New Era: A Transdisciplinary Overview of Relevant Topics
This transdisciplinary overview examines the major challenges facing soil science in the 2020s, with contributions from twenty experts across related disciplines. Among the key concerns identified are microplastics as emerging soil pollutants, alongside issues like soil erosion, contamination, food security, and climate change. The study emphasizes the need for new computational technologies and in situ measurements to better understand soil processes at multiple scales.
Scientific evidence of the hydrological impacts of nature‐based solutions at the catchment scale
This review assessed the scientific evidence for how nature-based solutions like wetlands, ponds, and green infrastructure affect water flow at the scale of entire watersheds. Researchers found that the effectiveness of each approach depends heavily on local conditions such as location, design, and environmental factors. The study emphasizes the need for better planning tools and more research before large-scale implementation of these interventions for water management.
Ingestion and contact with polyethylene microplastics does not cause acute toxicity on marine zooplankton
Researchers tested polyethylene microplastics, including particles spiked with the UV filter benzophenone-3, on a range of marine zooplankton and found no acute toxicity at the concentrations tested. The study suggests that short-term exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of virgin polyethylene microplastics may not cause immediate lethal effects on marine zooplankton, though chronic and sub-lethal impacts were not assessed.
Organic contaminants sorbed to microplastics affect marine medaka fish early life stages development
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics carrying adsorbed environmental contaminants affect the early life stages of marine medaka fish. The study found that while virgin microplastics alone showed no significant effects, microplastics spiked with benzo(a)pyrene, PFOS, or benzophenone-3 caused developmental impacts in embryos and larvae, demonstrating that microplastics can act as carriers that deliver toxic chemicals to developing fish.
Exploring the Interaction of Human α-Synuclein with Polyethylene Nanoplastics: Insights from Computational Modeling and Experimental Corroboration
Researchers used computer simulations and lab experiments to study how polyethylene nanoplastics interact with alpha-synuclein, a brain protein linked to neurodegenerative conditions. They found that nanoplastics caused the protein to change its shape and form a compact structure that interacts more strongly with itself, potentially promoting clumping. The study suggests a possible mechanism by which nanoplastics could influence protein behavior in the brain, though the health implications remain to be determined.
Future Directions in Conservation Research on Petrels and Shearwaters
This review assembled 38 conservation researchers to summarize the major threats facing petrels and shearwaters, a group of seabirds where 41 percent of species are threatened. Researchers identified invasive species, bycatch, overfishing, light pollution, climate change, and pollution including microplastics as the six primary threats. The paper proposes future research directions and management strategies including habitat restoration, improved fisheries policies, and better monitoring of pollution impacts on these vulnerable seabird populations.
Eco-Interactions of Engineered Nanomaterials in the Marine Environment: Towards an Eco-Design Framework
This review examines the behavior and ecological impact of engineered nanomaterials entering the marine environment, with a focus on titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Researchers found that these materials interact with marine organisms and co-occurring pollutants including microplastics in complex ways that challenge current risk assessment frameworks. The study proposes an eco-design approach to help minimize the environmental impact of nanomaterials before they reach marine ecosystems.
A Systematic Review and Characterization of the Major and Most Studied Urban Soil Threats in the European Union
Researchers systematically reviewed research on urban soil pollution across Europe, comparing two literature analysis methods, and found that heavy metals and soil organic carbon loss are the two biggest threats to city soils. The study highlights major evidence gaps that need to be filled to support the EU's Zero Pollution Action Plan.
Copepods' true colors: astaxanthin pigmentation as an indicator of fitness
This review explores how carotenoid pigmentation, particularly the molecule astaxanthin, serves as a visible indicator of health and fitness in copepods, a dominant type of zooplankton. Researchers found that the bright red-orange coloring in copepods is linked to their ability to handle environmental stressors like UV radiation and oxidative damage. The study proposes that pigmentation could be used as a simple, practical tool for assessing the overall condition of zooplankton populations in aquatic ecosystems.
Glyphosate, AMPA and glufosinate in soils and earthworms in a French arable landscape
Researchers sampled soils and earthworms across 120 sites in a French agricultural landscape and found glyphosate in 88% of soil samples and 74% of earthworm samples — including in untreated hedgerows and organic fields — with bioaccumulation in earthworms higher than predicted by the chemical's properties, suggesting underestimated trophic transfer risk.
Chronic feeding exposure to virgin and spiked microplastics disrupts essential biological functions in teleost fish
Researchers fed zebrafish and marine medaka environmentally relevant concentrations of virgin and chemically spiked polyethylene and PVC microplastics over four months. While classical biomarkers showed no changes, significant decreases in growth and disruptions to reproduction, gut integrity, and liver function were observed. The findings suggest that chronic dietary exposure to microplastics can disrupt essential biological functions in fish even without triggering traditional toxicity markers.
Coarse microplastic accumulation patterns in agricultural soils during two decades of different urban composts application
Researchers analyzed 21 years of soil samples from fields treated with three different types of urban waste compost to track how microplastics accumulate over time. They found that all compost types introduced microplastics into the soil, with distinct patterns depending on the compost source, and that certain plastic types persisted and built up over decades. The study suggests that long-term compost application is a significant pathway for microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils.
Spatial variability of Saharan dust deposition revealed through a citizen science campaign
Researchers used a citizen science campaign to collect dust-on-snow samples across the Pyrenees and Alps following a major Saharan dust event in February 2021. They found that the amount and particle size of deposited dust decreased with distance from the source, and south-facing slopes accumulated more dust. The study demonstrates how citizen science can fill gaps in understanding atmospheric dust transport, which also carries microplastics and other pollutants across long distances.