Papers

Safe nanomaterials: from their use, application, and disposal to regulations

This review surveys the global applications of nanomaterials across medicine, food, textiles, and electronics, along with the health and environmental risks they pose. It highlights that regulations governing nanomaterial safety vary widely between countries and calls for global standards based on a precautionary principle to ensure their responsible use and disposal.

A systematic review on the current situation of emerging pollutants in Mexico: A perspective on policies, regulation, detection, and elimination in water and wastewater

Emerging pollutants including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes, and microplastics have been widely detected across Mexican water sources, but biomonitoring and health-effects data remain almost entirely absent. Available technologies for removing these pollutants have only been tested at laboratory scale.

Effect of emerging pollutants on the gut microbiota of freshwater animals: Focusing on microplastics and pesticides

This review examines how microplastics and pesticides, two pollutants commonly found together in freshwater, each disrupt the gut bacteria of fish and other aquatic animals, and their combined presence can make the effects worse. Changes in gut bacteria caused by these pollutants can impair metabolism, immunity, and overall health of aquatic organisms, with potential consequences for the food chain.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoparticles and the physiological effect on intestinal tissue contraction. Ex-vivo approaches

Researchers tested PET nanoplastic particles on rat intestinal tissue and found that the particles quickly crossed the intestinal barrier and accumulated in the tissue. At certain concentrations, the nanoplastics disrupted normal muscle contractions involved in digestion. This is one of the first studies to directly show that plastic nanoparticles can penetrate the gut wall and interfere with intestinal function, suggesting a potential health risk from ingesting nanoplastics in food and water.

Ecotoxicological perspectives of microplastic pollution in amphibians

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect amphibians, which are considered important indicator species for freshwater pollution. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can impair amphibian growth, immune function, and gene expression, with effects varying by species and particle characteristics. The findings raise concerns about the vulnerability of amphibian populations already threatened by habitat loss and other environmental stressors.

Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Resistance to Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

This review examines the emerging phenomenon of bacterial resistance to metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, which have been proposed as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Researchers summarize the resistance mechanisms bacteria have developed, including efflux pumps, biofilm formation, and electrostatic repulsion of nanoparticles. The study highlights that while nanomaterials show promise against drug-resistant bacteria, the potential for bacteria to also develop resistance to these materials warrants careful consideration.

Biotransformation and oxidative stress markers in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus): Interactive impacts of microplastics and florfenicol

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with the antibiotic florfenicol to affect detoxification enzymes and oxidative stress in yellowfin seabream. They found that combined exposure to both pollutants caused more pronounced liver damage and oxidative stress than either substance alone, and that recovery took longer. The study suggests that microplastics can worsen the toxic effects of antibiotics used in aquaculture.

Multiple endpoints of polyethylene microplastics toxicity in vascular plants of freshwater ecosystems: A study involving Salvinia auriculata (Salviniaceae)

Researchers exposed the freshwater plant Salvinia auriculata to polyethylene microplastics for 28 days and observed reduced growth, thinner leaf tissue, and structural damage to cells. The study found that microplastics adhered to leaf and root surfaces, causing chlorophyll loss, cell membrane damage, and oxidative stress in the plants.

Expanding plastics recycling technologies: chemical aspects, technology status and challenges

This review examined the full life cycle of plastics and evaluated options for managing plastic waste, with a focus on chemical recycling technologies. The study suggests that overcoming barriers to industrial chemical recycling could open new opportunities for reducing plastic pollution.

First report on the toxicity of SARS-CoV-2, alone and in combination with polyethylene microplastics in neotropical fish

Researchers evaluated the ecotoxicological effects of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 and polyethylene microplastics, both alone and in combination, on the neotropical fish Poecilia reticulata over 15 days. The study suggests that exposure to these contaminants from sewage may affect aquatic organisms, highlighting the need to understand how pandemic-related pollutants interact with existing environmental contaminants like microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.

Insights into the Transcriptomic Response of Two Aspergillus Fungi Growing in the Presence of Microplastics of Polyethylene Terephthalate Residues Unveil the Presence of Fungal Machinery for Possible PET Bioconversion into High-Value Chemicals

Scientists discovered that two types of common fungi can break down plastic particles (specifically PET plastic used in bottles) and potentially turn them into useful chemicals. The fungi produced special enzymes that could eat away small amounts of the plastic over two weeks, suggesting these microorganisms might one day help clean up plastic pollution in our environment. This matters because microplastics are everywhere in our food and water, so finding natural ways to break them down could help reduce our exposure to these tiny plastic particles.

Microplastics: challenges of assessment in biological samples and their implication for in vitro and in vivo effects

This review examines the challenges of detecting and assessing microplastics in biological samples, noting that analytical limitations and lack of standardized methods hinder our understanding of health effects. The study highlights that humans are exposed to microplastics primarily through ingestion and inhalation, and that more long-term studies with standardized protocols are needed to understand the full scope of potential biological impacts.

The deficit of regulation of plastic waste and microplastics in Latin America: about health and bioaccumulation in México

This review examines plastic waste regulation gaps in Latin America, focusing on Mexico, and discusses how long-term microplastic bioaccumulation in tissues and organs poses health risks affecting the respiratory, immune, reproductive, and endocrine systems.

Spatial confined Cuδ+-based photothermal nanosheet for efficient polystyrene nanoplastic degradation

Impactos ambientales por residuos sólidos generados durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y alternativas de solución

This review synthesized research on the environmental impacts of solid waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly disposable PPE—and evaluated proposed solutions including incineration, recycling, and biodegradable alternatives.

Urban and Groundwater Microplastic Contamination: Sources, Distribution, Impacts, and Remediation Technologies

This review addressed microplastic contamination in urban environments and groundwater systems, covering source pathways from roads and stormwater runoff, distribution through urban catchments, and potential impacts on drinking water aquifers. It highlighted groundwater as an understudied but critical exposure pathway.

Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of SiO2 Modified with Cinnamon Essential Oil (Cinnamomum Verum) for Its Use as a Nanofiller in Active Packaging PLA Films

PLA packaging films incorporating SiO2 nanoparticles modified with cinnamon essential oil showed greater than 70% DPPH radical inhibition and strong antibacterial activity against E. coli, and maintained apple quality over 21 days of storage in proof-of-concept tests.

Role of the Ca3Co4O9 oxide to enhance the energy density and capacitance of graphene supercapacitors made with recycled polypropylene

The Massive Misuse of Face Mask as a Risk to COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin American: The Case of Mexico

Researchers examined face mask waste mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico and Latin America, finding that inadequate waste management infrastructure, poor public compliance, and high single-use mask consumption created significant environmental contamination risks in already strained waste systems.

Tourism sustainability, Official Mexican Standards and the fulfillment of the human right to a healthy environment: Hydrocarbons, plastics, and bioremediation

This paper examines how Mexico's official environmental standards address hydrocarbon and microplastic pollution at tourist destinations, arguing that existing regulations are insufficient given the scale of contamination and that bioremediation technologies need stronger legal backing to be deployed effectively. It is relevant because regulatory gaps leave coastal and urban tourist environments without adequate protection from microplastic accumulation.

First Report on the Toxicity of SARS-CoV-2, Alone and in Combination with Polyethylene Microplastics in Neotropical Fish

Microplastics: challenges of assessment in biological samples and their implication for in vitro and in vivo effects

This review covers how microplastics enter the human body through ingestion and inhalation, the challenges of detecting and measuring them in biological samples, and the evidence for harmful effects ranging from inflammation to hormonal disruption. Standardising methods for measuring microplastics in tissues and bodily fluids is a key obstacle to advancing human health research. The review provides a useful framework for understanding what we know and what still needs to be established about microplastic risks to people.

Where do they go? A review of the wastewater treatment process and its impact on the fate of microplastics

This review examines the fate of microplastics across the physical, chemical, and biological stages of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes, finding that WWTPs act as both sources and destinations for microplastics while not being designed to remove them, and surveying new removal strategies.

Giant Toads (Rhinella marina) From the Industrial Zones of Low Basin of the Coatzacoalcos River (Veracruz, MX) Presents Genotoxicity in Erythrocytes

Researchers found elevated genotoxicity in giant toads (Rhinella marina) living near industrial zones along the heavily polluted Coatzacoalcos River in Mexico, with higher rates of DNA damage, nuclear abnormalities, and apoptosis compared to toads from rural or laboratory settings.