Papers

Mapping Microplastics in Humans: Analysis of Polymer Types, and Shapes in Food and Drinking Water—A Systematic Review

This systematic review mapped the types and shapes of microplastics found in food, drinking water, and human tissue samples. Polyethylene and polypropylene — common in food packaging — were the most frequently detected plastics, and fiber-shaped particles were especially prevalent in human samples.

The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

Researchers analyzed 1,816 freshwater invertebrate community datasets from 22 European countries spanning 1968 to 2020, finding that biodiversity recovered steadily through the 1990s and 2000s thanks to water quality improvements, but has largely plateaued since the 2010s. Emerging threats including climate warming, emerging pollutants like microplastics, and invasive species are now offsetting earlier conservation gains, signaling that stronger protections are urgently needed.

A global review on the abundance and threats of microplastics in soils to terrestrial ecosystem and human health

This review examines microplastic pollution levels across agricultural, roadside, urban, and landfill soils worldwide, finding wide variation but consistent contamination. Microplastics alter soil pH, density, and water movement, disrupt microbial communities, inhibit plant growth, and affect soil animals. For humans, the concern is that microplastics in soil can enter the food chain through crops and contaminated water.

From marine to freshwater environment: A review of the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics

This review summarizes research on how microplastics affect aquatic organisms in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Microplastics cause a range of harmful effects including behavioral changes, metabolic disruption, immune suppression, and reproductive problems in fish, shellfish, and plankton. The review highlights that freshwater species have been studied far less than marine ones, even though freshwater ecosystems are often closer to pollution sources and more directly connected to human water supplies.

West London Healthy Home and Environment (WellHome) Study: Protocol for a Community-Based Study Investigating Exposures Across the Indoor-Outdoor Air Pollution Continuum in Urban Communities

WellHome is a community-based study that will measure air pollution, including microplastic particles, inside 100 homes across West London and examine links to childhood asthma. The study measures multiple physical, chemical, and biological contaminants in kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms across different socioeconomic neighborhoods. By measuring microplastics alongside other indoor pollutants, this research could help clarify how household air quality contributes to respiratory health problems in children.

Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa

This study tested the toxicity of chemicals leaching from plastic pre-production pellets (nurdles) on the embryonic development of animals from all major animal groups, including sea urchins, mussels, worms, and crustaceans. The plastic leachates caused developmental problems across nearly all species tested, including disrupted cell formation, abnormal body shapes, and impaired growth. These findings suggest that plastic pollution could have widespread, potentially devastating effects on marine animal populations that humans depend on for food.

Contrasting the effects of microplastic types, concentrations and nutrient enrichment on freshwater communities and ecosystem functioning

Researchers tested two types of microplastics, conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid, in outdoor freshwater mesocosms and found that neither type significantly affected community composition or ecosystem functions like algae growth and leaf decomposition. Even at concentrations known to cause harm in lab settings, the microplastics had minimal impact when tested in more realistic ecological conditions. The study suggests that real-world microplastic effects on freshwater communities may differ from laboratory predictions.

Flocculation with heterogeneous composition in water environments: A review

This review examines how particles of different compositions, including minerals, organic matter, microplastics, and biological material, clump together through flocculation in natural water environments. Researchers found that the mixed composition of these clusters significantly affects how pollutants are transported and deposited in rivers, estuaries, and oceans. Understanding flocculation processes is important for predicting how microplastics and other contaminants move through and settle in aquatic systems.

Arctic plasmidome analysis reveals distinct relationships among associated antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes along anthropogenic gradients

Researchers analyzed antibiotic resistance genes carried on mobile genetic elements in Arctic glacial ice and nearby waterways, finding more resistance genes in areas with greater human influence. Even in this remote region, the spread of antimicrobial resistance was detectable along gradients of human activity. While not directly about microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics in polar environments can serve as surfaces where bacteria exchange resistance genes, potentially accelerating the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Physiological and behavioural responses of aquatic organisms to microplastics and experimental warming

Researchers tested how microplastic exposure combined with different water temperatures affected the breathing, feeding, and movement of two common freshwater invertebrates. They found that while temperature had strong effects on all measured behaviors, microplastics caused additional changes in feeding rates and movement patterns that varied between species. The study highlights that the biological effects of microplastics may be amplified or altered under warming climate conditions.

The Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Coatings Using Food‐Grade Wax Dispersions

Researchers developed a method for creating water-repellent coatings using only food-grade waxes and common solvents, achieving superhydrophobic surfaces with water contact angles above 150 degrees. The coatings could be applied to various materials including glass, metals, and fabrics using simple techniques like dipping or spraying. The technology offers a sustainable, food-safe alternative to conventional plastic-based water-resistant coatings for applications such as food packaging.

Microplastic pollution and nutrient enrichment shift the diet of freshwater macroinvertebrates

Researchers studied how microplastic pollution and excess nutrients together affect the feeding behavior of freshwater invertebrates in controlled experiments. They found that both conventional and biodegradable microplastics shifted what the organisms chose to eat, and these effects were amplified when combined with nutrient enrichment. The study suggests that microplastic pollution interacts with other common environmental stressors to alter freshwater food webs.

Exposure to microplastics reduces attachment strength and alters the haemolymph proteome of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)

Researchers found that blue mussels exposed to polyethylene microplastics for 52 days produced fewer attachment threads and lost about 50% of their grip strength. Both conventional and biodegradable microplastics altered proteins in the mussels' blood involved in immune regulation, metabolism, and structural development, suggesting microplastics could undermine reef formation.

Microplastic pollution in Kolavai Lake, Tamil Nadu, India: quantification of plankton-sized microplastics in the surface water of lake

Researchers quantified microplastic pollution in Kolavai Lake in Tamil Nadu, India, finding an average abundance of 6.1 particles per liter in surface water. They identified polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene as the most common types using infrared spectroscopy. The study also examined the ratio of microplastics to zooplankton, raising concerns about how these tiny particles could enter the food chain when consumed by aquatic organisms.

Learning from natural sediments to tackle microplastics challenges: A multidisciplinary perspective

Researchers drew on decades of sediment science to propose seven research priorities for improving microplastic studies, including better particle description, transport modeling, and toxicity assessment methods adapted from geology. This cross-disciplinary approach could accelerate understanding of how microplastics move through rivers, oceans, and ecosystems and how they harm living organisms.

Flocs as vectors for microplastics in the aquatic environment

Researchers combined analysis of over 6,000 measurements to show that small microplastics under 162 micrometers (about the width of two human hairs) are predominantly transported through waterways while clumped together in "flocs" — aggregates of particles and organic matter — rather than drifting freely. This insight is critical for predicting where microplastics will end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Marine snow as vectors for microplastic transport: Multiple aggregation cycles account for the settling of buoyant microplastics to deep‐sea sediments

Researchers developed a model explaining how buoyant microplastics end up in deep-sea sediments through repeated cycles of incorporation into marine snow aggregates. They showed that multiple aggregation-sinking-disaggregation cycles can progressively transport low-density microplastics from the ocean surface to the seafloor. The study provides the first comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the full journey of buoyant microplastics from surface waters to deep-sea deposits.

Microplastics Accumulation And Distribution In The Surface Water And Sediment Of The Kosasthalaiyar River, Tamil Nadu, India

The Role of Artificial Weathering Protocols on Abiotic and Bacterial Degradation of Polyethylene

Researchers compared three different artificial weathering protocols to understand how UV exposure patterns affect the degradation of polyethylene and its subsequent breakdown by bacteria. The study found that different weathering conditions significantly influence the physicochemical properties of polyethylene, which in turn affects how readily microorganisms can degrade the material, with implications for understanding microplastic formation in the environment.

Microplastic pollution in Vietnam's estuarine, coastal and riverine environments: Research advances and future prospects

Do microplastics mediate the effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms?

This review examined whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical contaminants in aquatic organisms, finding that while chemicals can sorb to microplastics, the evidence for microplastics significantly enhancing chemical toxicity in natural settings remains limited.

Interactive effects of warming and microplastics on metabolism but not feeding rates of a key freshwater detritivore

Freshwater detritivores were exposed to microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations under two temperature conditions to separate and combine effects, finding that warming and microplastics interacted to significantly increase metabolic rates but had no combined effect on feeding rates. The results highlight the importance of considering multiple stressors when assessing freshwater organism responses to microplastics under climate change.

Potential pollution risks of historic landfills in England: Further analysis of climate change impacts

Researchers expanded upon earlier analysis of historic landfill pollution risks in England by examining how climate change could affect inland landfill sites, not just coastal ones. They found that increased flooding, drought, and shifting groundwater patterns could all accelerate pollutant release from thousands of unregulated legacy landfills. The study warns that many of these sites sit in groundwater protection zones where modern regulations would never allow their construction.

Developmental toxicity of pre-production plastic pellets affects a large swathe of invertebrate taxa

Researchers tested the developmental toxicity of plastic pre-production pellet leachates across a wide range of invertebrate species from all major animal superphyla. They found concentration-dependent harmful effects on embryo development, cell specification, and morphogenesis in species from molluscs to cnidarians. The study serves as a proof of principle that increasing plastic concentrations in marine environments could have widespread, potentially catastrophic effects on animal development across many taxonomic groups.