Papers

Oral Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics of Mice on a Normal or High-Fat Diet and Intestinal and Metabolic Outcomes

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics caused metabolic problems like diabetes and fatty liver disease in mice, but only when combined with a high-fat diet. The high-fat diet appeared to damage the gut lining enough to allow microplastics to deposit in the intestinal wall, triggering inflammation that altered nutrient absorption. This suggests that people with poor diets may be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of microplastic exposure.

Long-Term Changes in the Abundance, Size, and Morphotype of Marine Plastics in the North Pacific

This 70-year study of floating plastic debris near Japan reveals that ocean microplastic pollution has gone through three phases: a rise from the 1950s to 1970s, a leveling off through the early 2010s, and a recent sharp increase. The temporary plateau was likely caused by natural processes like sinking with ocean algae, but current plastic discharge now exceeds the ocean's ability to remove it. The findings suggest that microplastic impacts on marine life and the seafood supply are growing worse.

MOF Catalysts for Plastic Depolymerization

This review highlights how metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of highly customizable porous materials, can be used as catalysts to break down plastic waste into reusable chemical building blocks. MOFs offer advantages over traditional recycling methods because they can be precisely designed to target specific plastic types. While focused on plastic waste solutions rather than health effects, this technology could help reduce the amount of plastic that eventually breaks down into microplastics in the environment.

Oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics alters the intestinal environment and metabolic outcomes in mice

In a mouse study, oral exposure to high concentrations of polystyrene microplastics caused fatty liver disease and abnormal blood lipid levels even without prior gut leakiness. The microplastics triggered intestinal inflammation through immune cells, disrupted gut bacteria, and altered how the body processes nutrients. These results suggest that swallowing microplastics could contribute to metabolic problems and liver disease in humans.

Negative impact of oral exposure to polystyrene microplastics on glucose tolerance and intestinal environment in mice is independent of particle size

Researchers fed mice on a high-fat diet polystyrene microplastics of three different sizes and found that all sizes impaired glucose tolerance, regardless of particle dimensions. The microplastics caused intestinal inflammation, altered gut bacteria, and damaged the lining of the intestinal tract. The study suggests that the harmful metabolic effects of ingesting microplastics may occur broadly and are not limited to one particular particle size.

Oral exposure to nanoplastics and food allergy in mice fed a normal or high-fat diet

Researchers studied how oral exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics affects food allergy responses in mice fed either a normal or high-fat diet. They found that nanoplastics worsened allergic reactions to a food protein, particularly in mice on the high-fat diet, by increasing gut permeability and shifting immune responses. The study suggests that the combination of nanoplastic exposure and a Western-style diet may be contributing to the rising prevalence of food allergies.

Effect of Oligomers Derived from Biodegradable Polyesters on Eco- and Neurotoxicity

Researchers evaluated the toxicity of biodegradable polyester polycaprolactone (PCL) and its synthetic degradation products (oligocaprolactones) on freshwater microorganisms, marine algae, and mammalian cells. While the intact PCL polymer showed no adverse effects, shorter oligomers and monomers at higher concentrations damaged tested organisms, suggesting that degradation products of biodegradable plastics warrant toxicity assessment alongside the parent materials.

Quantifying annual microplastic emissions of an urban catchment: Surface runoff vs wastewater sources

Researchers measured the total annual microplastic emissions from an urban river catchment in Japan and compared contributions from wastewater treatment plants versus surface runoff. They found that the catchment released about 269 tons of microplastics per year, with wastewater being the dominant source for smaller particles and surface runoff contributing more larger particles. The study provides one of the first comprehensive annual budgets of urban microplastic emissions, highlighting the scale of the problem.

The quantification of the airborne plastic particles of 0.43–11 μm: Procedure development and application to atmospheric environment

Researchers developed a new method for measuring airborne plastic particles as small as 0.43 micrometers, a size range rarely studied before. Testing the approach in real atmospheric conditions, they detected multiple types of plastic polymers in the air, including polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET, providing evidence that people are regularly breathing in ultrafine plastic particles.

Effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics on reproduction, oxidative stress and reproduction and detoxification-related genes in Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas (Daphnia magna) to PVC microplastics of two different sizes and measured effects on reproduction, oxidative stress, and gene expression. They found that smaller microplastics caused greater reproductive impairment and stronger oxidative stress responses, along with changes in genes related to reproduction and detoxification. The study demonstrates that microplastic size is an important factor in determining toxicity to freshwater invertebrates.

Umpolung Isomerization in Radical Copolymerization of Benzyl Vinyl Ether with Pentafluorophenylacrylate Leading to Degradable AAB Periodic Copolymers

Chemists discovered an unusual reaction during the production of a new type of plastic polymer that results in a material with a regularly repeating AAB pattern. This unique structure gives the polymer a special property: it can be broken down under specific conditions, making it a potentially degradable alternative to conventional plastics. The research contributes to efforts to design new plastics that do not persist indefinitely in the environment.

Microplastics in wastewater and sludge from centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment plants: Effects of treatment systems and microplastic characteristics

Researchers compared microplastic removal at centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment plants in Bangkok, Thailand. They found that centralized plants removed 50-97% of microplastics while smaller decentralized plants removed only 14-54%, with both types concentrating significant amounts of microplastics in their sludge, up to 228,100 particles per kilogram of dry weight.

Anthropocene Ouroboros

This ethnographic study explores how plastic objects on an Indian Ocean island shatter and disperse into microplastics, complicating our understanding of geological time. Researchers argue that because microplastics can migrate through sedimentary layers and infiltrate earlier geological strata, they disrupt the very framework used to delineate the Anthropocene. The paper examines the cultural and temporal implications of plastic pollution as a defining material of the modern era.

Removal of microplastics in wastewater by ceramic microfiltration

Mission Tara Microplastics: a holistic set of protocols and data resources for the field investigation of plastic pollution along the land-sea continuum in Europe

Researchers present a comprehensive set of sampling protocols from the Tara Microplastics mission, which investigated plastic pollution along nine major European rivers by measuring microplastic concentrations, microbial communities, and biophysicochemical parameters along salinity gradients.

Surface and Interface Engineering for Nanocellulosic Advanced Materials

This review examines how nanocellulose — nanoscale fibrils derived from plant cell walls — can be engineered for surface and interface properties to create strong, sustainable materials as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

Pilot-scale performance of gravity-driven ultra-high flux fabric membrane systems for removing small-sized microplastics in wastewater treatment plant effluents

Researchers tested pilot-scale gravity-driven fabric membrane systems for removing small microplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluents, achieving high removal rates without the energy costs of pressurized filtration. The ultra-high flux membranes maintained effective performance over extended operation periods and captured particles smaller than 150 micrometers. The study demonstrates a practical, low-cost approach for large-scale microplastic removal from treated wastewater.

Plastic Currents: Distribution, Fate, and Risks of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Freshwater Systems

This research review shows that tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics are now found everywhere in freshwater systems like rivers and lakes, coming from sources like car tires, synthetic clothing, and broken-down plastic waste. These microscopic plastic bits can potentially harm human health, but scientists still don't fully understand the long-term health effects of exposure to them. The study highlights that plastic pollution has spread even to remote places like the Arctic, showing how widespread this contamination has become.

Towards a North Pacific Ocean Long-term Monitoring Program for Plastic Pollution: a Review of Global Occurrence of Microplastics in the Sea and Deep-sea Sediments

This systematic review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in sea sediments around the world, with a focus on the North Pacific Ocean. The findings highlight the need for standardized monitoring methods and long-term tracking programs, since understanding where microplastics accumulate in ocean sediments helps predict how they enter marine food chains and eventually reach our plates.

A review of remote sensing technology for plastic waste monitoring

This systematic review evaluates how remote sensing technologies like satellites and drones can detect and monitor plastic waste in the environment. Better monitoring of plastic pollution helps track how plastics break down into microplastics that can eventually enter our food and water, making this technology important for protecting human health.

Beppu Bay, Japan, as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series

Researchers evaluated Beppu Bay sediments as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section for the Anthropocene, finding unprecedented increases in 99 anthropogenic proxies above a 1953 flood layer, including microplastics, radionuclides, and industrial pollutants.

Dynamics and functions of microbial communities in the plastisphere in temperate coastal environments

Researchers explored microbial communities colonizing microplastics in coastal environments of Japan, comparing bacterial and fungal communities across different plastic types, water, sediment, and sand. The study found that while microbial communities varied by sample type and location rather than plastic shape, microplastics harbored hydrocarbon-degrading organisms as well as potential pathogens, highlighting the ecological significance of plastic-associated biofilms.

Airborne microplastics in the roadside and residential areas of Southern Thailand

Researchers assessed airborne microplastic contamination in roadside and residential areas across nine districts in southern Thailand. They found microplastic concentrations ranging from 0.09 to 1.54 particles per cubic meter, with particles smaller than 100 micrometers predominating in all samples. The study identified fragments and black-colored particles as the most common types, with polymer analysis revealing a diverse mix of plastic materials in the air.

Multispecies sustainability

This perspective paper argues that the conventional concept of sustainability — centered on human needs across generations — must be expanded to 'multispecies sustainability' that explicitly recognizes the interdependent needs of all living species, not just humans.