Papers

Optimization of the Hemolysis Assay for the Assessment of Cytotoxicity

This study improved a common lab test used to measure how toxic chemicals and materials are to red blood cells. While not directly about microplastics, the hemolysis assay is one of the tools researchers use to evaluate whether micro- and nanoplastic particles damage blood cells, making standardized testing methods important for accurate health risk assessment.

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis spp.) as sentinel organisms in coastal pollution monitoring: A review

This review examines the use of blue mussels as sentinel organisms for monitoring coastal water pollution, covering their ability to accumulate a wide range of contaminants including microplastics. Researchers discuss how mussels bioaccumulate pollutants in proportion to environmental levels, making them reliable indicators of water quality. The paper also highlights emerging concerns like nanomaterials and climate change effects on mussel-based monitoring programs.

The influence of global climate change on accumulation and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants and chemicals of emerging concern in Arctic food webs

This review examined how climate change affects the accumulation and toxicity of persistent organic pollutants in Arctic food webs. Researchers found that warming temperatures, melting permafrost, and shifting species ranges are changing how contaminants move through and concentrate in Arctic ecosystems. The study suggests that climate change and chemical pollution together may create compounding stress on Arctic wildlife populations.

Still Arctic?—The changing Barents Sea

Researchers reviewed the current state of the Barents Sea, one of the Arctic regions experiencing the most dramatic climate and ecosystem changes. The study documents rising temperatures, shrinking sea ice, and shifts in marine species distribution over recent decades. The findings indicate that the Barents Sea is transitioning away from its traditional Arctic character, with implications for fisheries, biodiversity, and pollution patterns including microplastic transport.

Tire wear particle and leachate exposures from a pristine and road-worn tire to Hyalella azteca: Comparison of chemical content and biological effects

Researchers compared freshwater amphipod (Hyalella azteca) toxicity from pristine versus road-worn tire wear particles, finding that pristine particles were more acutely toxic as suspensions while chemical leachates from both were similarly harmful, with benzothiazole, zinc, and 1-indanone consistently identified as likely contributors to aquatic toxicity.

Digital Product Passport: A Pathway to Circularity and Sustainability in Modern Manufacturing

This study explores Digital Product Passports, a system that tracks product information throughout its lifecycle to improve recycling and sustainability in manufacturing. While not directly about microplastics, better product tracking could help manage plastic materials more effectively and reduce the amount of plastic waste that breaks down into microplastics. The framework could help manufacturers make more recyclable products and reduce overall plastic pollution.

A policy portfolio approach to plastics throughout their life cycle: Supranational and national regulation in the European Union

This study systematically analyzed plastic regulations across the European Union, Denmark, Germany, and Poland over the past twenty years. The researchers found that while the number of plastic policies has grown dramatically, most rules focus on end-of-life waste management rather than reducing plastic production at the source. The study suggests that current regulatory approaches may not be enough to address the full lifecycle of plastic pollution, including the microplastics that result from plastic breakdown.

Human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics: a mechanistic perspective of health risks associated with metabolic and reproductive functions

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and the mechanisms by which they may disrupt metabolic and reproductive health. Researchers describe how these particles are absorbed through the gut, enter the bloodstream, and accumulate in organs where they can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormonal disruption. The evidence indicates that micro- and nanoplastics, particularly those carrying endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may pose significant risks to fertility and metabolic function.

The influence of depth on the global deep-sea plasmidome

Researchers analyzed plasmid DNA communities in 81 deep-sea samples from global ocean expeditions and found that deeper waters harbored more diverse plasmid populations carrying genes for stress resistance and metabolism. They also identified plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance and heavy metal tolerance genes, with some linked to microplastic-associated bacteria. The study reveals that even remote deep-sea environments may serve as reservoirs for antimicrobial resistance genes spread through mobile genetic elements.

Kinetics and Size Effects on Adsorption of Cu(II), Cr(III), and Pb(II) Onto Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastic Particles

Researchers investigated how copper, chromium, and lead ions adsorb onto polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET microplastic particles of different sizes. The study found that smaller microplastic particles had greater adsorption capacity for heavy metals, with lead showing the highest adsorption levels, particularly on PET particles, suggesting increased environmental risk when tiny microplastics and heavy metals coexist.

Temporal patterns in multiple stressors shape the vulnerability of overwintering Arctic zooplankton

Researchers studied how multiple environmental stressors, including microplastics, a chemical pollutant, and warming, affect the survival of an important Arctic marine species during the harsh polar night. They found that continuous exposure to these combined stressors caused greater harm than intermittent exposure, and that the presence of microplastics intensified the toxic effects of the other stressors. The study highlights that recovery periods without stressor exposure significantly improved survival, emphasizing how the timing and duration of pollution exposure matters for Arctic ecosystems.

Drying in the low-latitude Atlantic Ocean contributed to terrestrial water storage depletion across Eurasia

This study investigates the atmospheric mechanisms linking drying in the low-latitude North Atlantic Ocean to terrestrial water storage depletion across mid-latitude Eurasia. While not directly related to microplastics, the research addresses large-scale environmental changes affecting water availability for a significant portion of the global population.

Environmentally relevant microplastic exposure affects sediment-dwelling bivalves

Researchers exposed two species of sediment-dwelling bivalves to polyethylene microplastics at three concentrations and three size classes for four weeks. The study found species-specific responses including reduced body condition and altered burrowing behavior, suggesting that even at environmentally relevant concentrations, microplastics can affect the physiology and behavior of benthic bivalves.

Common types of microdebris affect the physiology of reef-building corals

Researchers tested how several common types of microdebris, including microplastic fibers, fragments, and other small particles, affect reef-building corals. They found that exposure to mixed debris types caused greater stress responses in the corals than single-polymer exposures typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microdebris pollution, which involves multiple materials at once, may be more harmful to coral reef health than previous single-material experiments have indicated.

The circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod (<i>Boreogadus saida</i>) and its ecosystem

This review assessed the circumpolar impacts of climate change and anthropogenic stressors on Arctic cod, identifying how warming waters, pollution including microplastics, and habitat loss threaten this keystone forage fish and its broader ecosystem.

Freshwater plastispheres as a vector for foodborne bacteria and viruses

Researchers submerged common plastic types in a Norwegian river and analyzed the microbial communities that colonized their surfaces across different seasons and locations. The study detected potentially harmful bacteria including E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as norovirus and adenovirus, on the plastic surfaces. These findings suggest that microplastics in freshwater systems could serve as vectors for transporting foodborne pathogens, particularly when contaminated water is used for irrigation.

Microplastics amplify the pro-inflammatory response to fungal mycelial fragments and spores in neutrophil-like cells

Researchers found that HDPE microplastics combined with fungal fragments induced significant release of inflammatory markers IL-6 and IL-8 from neutrophil-like immune cells. Notably, they observed a trend of decreasing IL-6 levels at higher microplastic doses mixed with fungal particles, suggesting possible dysregulation of the inflammatory response. The study indicates that microplastics may amplify and alter immune reactions to common biological particles found in indoor and outdoor air.

Single and combined effects of microplastics and pyrene on juveniles (0+ group) of the common goby Pomatoschistus microps (Teleostei, Gobiidae)

Microplastics in sediments: A systematic review structured through reproducible analytical pipelines

This systematic review of 37 studies finds that microplastic research in sediments suffers from major differences in how samples are collected and analyzed. Without standardized methods, it is difficult to compare contamination levels across locations, which limits our ability to assess how much microplastic in soil and waterbed sediments might affect ecosystems and human health.

Precise Fabrication of Elongated Janus Microparticles

Researchers developed a method to fabricate precisely shaped truncated-cone elongated Janus microparticles with distinct metal and polymer regions, enabling accurate control over particle properties for applications in environmental sensing and drug delivery.

Marine biofouling organisms on beached, buoyant and benthic plastic debris in the Catalan Sea

Fouling communities colonizing beached, floating, and benthic plastic debris were examined in the Catalan Sea, revealing differences in community composition linked to plastic substrate location and environmental conditions. The study confirms that plastic debris acts as a dispersal vector for marine fouling organisms across different depth zones in the western Mediterranean.

Crochet Methodology

This paper used the Abundance Crochet Coral Reef art installation as a methodological motif to explore creative approaches to studying religion in the Anthropocene, situating religious studies within broader human-nature entanglements. The paper argued for scholarly work that challenges dualisms between human and nature in religious studies responses to ecological crises.

Increasing risk of invasions by organisms on marine debris in the Southeast coast of India

Researchers examined plastic and other litter washed up on eight beaches in southeast India, identifying 17 species colonizing the debris including one invasive mussel not native to the region. The study is the first to document marine litter as a pathway for invasive species transport along India's coastline, where plastic consumption and pollution levels are among the highest in the world.

Interactive Effects of Warming and Pollutants on Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates

Researchers reviewed how the combination of rising water temperatures and chemical pollution affects freshwater and marine invertebrates, finding that warming generally makes toxic contaminants like metals and pesticides more harmful, often in a synergistic (greater than additive) way. However, multigenerational exposure can sometimes shift this interaction toward antagonism, where organisms adapt over time — highlighting the importance of studying long-term, multi-stressor effects.