Papers

Interactions between environmental pollutants and gut microbiota: A review connecting the conventional heavy metals and the emerging microplastics

This review examines how environmental pollutants, including both heavy metals and microplastics, interact with gut bacteria in humans and animals. The authors found that these pollutants can disrupt the balance of gut microbiota, which may contribute to various health problems, and that gut bacteria can also transform pollutants in ways that change their toxicity.

Efficient degradation and mineralization of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics by the synergy of sulfate and hydroxyl radicals in a heterogeneous electro-Fenton-activated persulfate oxidation system

Researchers developed a new electrochemical system that broke down over 91% of PET microplastics (the type found in water bottles and food packaging) in water within 12 hours. This cleanup technology works by generating powerful chemical radicals that attack the plastic structure, offering a promising approach for removing microplastics from water before they can enter drinking water systems or accumulate in food chains.

Influences of coexisting aged polystyrene microplastics on the ecological and health risks of cadmium in soils: A leachability and oral bioaccessibility based study

This study tested whether the presence of aged microplastics in soil changes how easily the toxic heavy metal cadmium can enter the human body through accidental soil ingestion. The results showed that aged polystyrene microplastics actually reduced cadmium absorption in the stomach phase, though the effect varied by soil type. This suggests that the interaction between microplastics and other pollutants in soil creates a complicated picture for assessing human health risks.

Interactions Between Microplastics and Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environments: A Review

This review examines how microplastics interact with heavy metals in water, with a particular focus on the role that microorganisms play in driving these interactions. Bacteria that colonize microplastic surfaces can change how metals bind to and release from the particles, potentially increasing their toxicity. The combined threat of microplastics and heavy metals to aquatic ecosystems and human health through seafood consumption is a growing concern that needs more research.

Abamectin Causes Neurotoxicity in Zebrafish Embryos

This study found that abamectin, a widely used agricultural pesticide, caused brain damage and nerve cell death in developing zebrafish embryos through oxidative stress. While not about microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics can absorb and transport pesticides like abamectin through water systems, potentially delivering concentrated doses to aquatic organisms. Understanding pesticide neurotoxicity helps explain how chemical-laden microplastics could harm both wildlife and human nervous system development.

Size effects of microplastics on antibiotic resistome and core microbiome in an urban river

Scientists found that microplastics in an urban river serve as platforms for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and dangerous pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Legionella pneumophila. Larger microplastic particles harbored more antibiotic resistance genes, and the concentrations of these genes were much higher on plastic surfaces than in the surrounding water. This research raises concerns that microplastics in waterways could spread drug-resistant infections by providing a surface where dangerous bacteria thrive and share resistance genes.

Seasonal changes in N-cycling functional genes in sediments and their influencing factors in a typical eutrophic shallow lake, China

This study tracked seasonal changes in nitrogen-cycling bacteria in the sediments of a nutrient-rich lake in China, finding that key microbial processes shifted significantly between warmer and colder months. While focused on lake ecology rather than microplastics directly, the research is relevant because microplastics in lake sediments are known to alter microbial communities and nitrogen cycling processes. Understanding these baseline patterns helps scientists assess how microplastic contamination may further disrupt nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems.

Advances in Studies on Heavy Metals in Urban Soil: A Bibliometric Analysis

This bibliometric analysis maps two decades of research on heavy metal contamination in urban soils, identifying key trends, leading researchers, and priority topics. The field has grown significantly, with focus areas including pollution source identification, health risk assessment, and the use of environmental magnetism techniques. While centered on heavy metals rather than microplastics, the research is relevant because microplastics in urban soil often carry and concentrate heavy metals, creating combined pollution that threatens human health.

Removal of Emerging Organic Pollutants by Zeolite Mineral (Clinoptilolite) Composite Photocatalysts in Drinking Water and Watershed Water

This review covers photocatalytic technologies that use zeolite minerals combined with semiconductor materials to break down emerging pollutants in drinking water and watersheds. While focused on pharmaceuticals and other organic contaminants rather than microplastics specifically, these advanced water treatment approaches could also help degrade microplastics. Better water purification technology is critical for reducing human exposure to the mix of pollutants, including microplastics, found in drinking water.

Quantitative analysis of microplastics and nanoplastics released from disposable PVC infusion tubes

Researchers measured the micro and nanoplastics released from brand-new disposable PVC infusion tubes used in hospitals, finding that each tube carries nearly 1,000 microplastic particles before any fluid even passes through. When infusion fluids were run through the tubes, they picked up additional particles, with the amount increasing at higher temperatures and longer durations. This means patients receiving IV fluids may be exposed to PVC plastic particles that enter directly into their bloodstream.

Microplastics in the soil environment: Focusing on the sources, its transformation and change in morphology

This review focuses on how microplastics form and change shape in soil environments, tracing their journey from sources like agricultural plastic films, sewage sludge, and tire wear through biological and physical breakdown processes. The authors explain that microplastics do not just shrink over time but undergo chemical changes that can make them more or less toxic. Understanding these transformations in soil is important because it affects how microplastics move through agricultural land and into food crops.

Mechanisms of Gills Response to Cadmium Exposure in Greenfin Horse-Faced Filefish (Thamnaconus septentrionalis): Oxidative Stress, Immune Response, and Energy Metabolism

This study examined how cadmium, a toxic heavy metal from industrial pollution, damages the gills of a marine fish species by triggering oxidative stress, immune responses, and energy imbalances. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because microplastics can absorb and transport heavy metals like cadmium into aquatic food chains. Understanding how fish respond to cadmium exposure helps assess the combined risks when heavy metals hitchhike on microplastic particles.

Transcriptomics-based analysis of neurotoxic and reproductive effects in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) after exposure to tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP)

This study used gene expression analysis to reveal that the flame retardant TCEP causes endocrine-disrupting effects in turbot fish, affecting both neurological and reproductive pathways. The findings identified specific biomarkers that could serve as early warning signs for monitoring the health impacts of this chemical pollutant on aquaculture species.

Microplastics in petrochemical wastewater: A comprehensive review of removal mechanism, influencing factors and effects on wastewater reuse process

Fabrication of a C3N4/Bi12O17Cl2 heterojunction photocatalytic membrane applied for pharmaceutical and microplastic treatment

Distinct responses of Caenorhabditis elegans to polyethylene microplastics and plant secondary metabolites

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and plant-derived chemical compounds individually and together affect the roundworm C. elegans, a common soil organism. They found that while the plant compounds reduced worm reproduction and lifespan, microplastics had milder individual effects but modified the toxicity of the plant chemicals when combined. The study reveals that in real soil environments, the interactions between microplastics and natural plant chemicals create complex toxicity patterns.

Comparison of aging behavior and adsorption processes of biodegradable and conventional microplastics

Microplastics and viruses in the aquatic environment: a mini review

This review summarizes what is currently known about how microplastics interact with viruses in aquatic environments. Researchers found that microplastics can serve as carriers for viruses, potentially influencing their persistence, transmission, and ability to cause infection in water systems. The evidence indicates that the growing presence of microplastics in waterways may create new pathways for viral spread that are not yet fully understood.

Different Pathways of Microplastics Entering the Sludge Treatment System Distinctively Affect Anaerobic Sludge Fermentation Processes

Researchers developed a more realistic method for studying how microplastics affect anaerobic sludge fermentation by adding multiple types of microplastics to the wastewater treatment process rather than directly to sludge. They found that the pathway by which microplastics enter the system significantly influences fermentation outcomes, with the realistic approach showing different effects on short-chain fatty acid production than direct addition. The study suggests that previous research may not accurately represent real-world impacts of microplastics on sludge treatment.

Enhanced long-term stability of stained microplastics with carbon nitride fluorescent polymer for tracking

Researchers created a fluorescent coating using a carbon nitride polymer that can be applied to microplastics of various types and shapes to make them visible for tracking in the environment. Unlike conventional dyes that fade quickly, this coating remained stable under UV light, extreme temperatures, and exposure to natural water for at least 60 days. The technology could make it much easier for scientists to trace where microplastics travel in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Internalization and cytotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Researchers investigated the uptake and toxicity of 1-micrometer polystyrene microplastics in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The study found that interaction between the cells and microplastics was very low, with less than 4% of cells taking up particles even at high concentrations, and no significant inflammation, autophagy, or oxidative stress responses were observed at tested exposure levels.

Investigation of interaction mechanism between polyvinyl chloride microplastics and phthalate acid esters using APGC-MS/MS

Researchers developed a highly sensitive method to measure phthalate chemicals and studied how these hormone-disrupting compounds interact with PVC microplastics. The study found that microplastics can absorb and later release phthalates, with conditions similar to the gut of warm-blooded animals allowing the highest release of these potentially harmful chemicals.

Adsorption of neonicotinoid insecticides by mulch film-derived microplastics and their combined toxicity

Researchers studied how microplastics from agricultural mulch films interact with common insecticides used on crops. They found that biodegradable plastic (PBAT) microplastics adsorbed more pesticide than conventional polyethylene microplastics, and that aging increased this adsorption capacity. When combined, the microplastics and insecticides were more toxic to soil organisms than either pollutant alone, suggesting an underappreciated risk in agricultural soils.

Phosphorescent Naphthalene-Doped Carbon Nitride Quantum Dots for Selective Detection of Polyamide Microplastics

Researchers created phosphorescent quantum dots that specifically bind to polyamide microplastics through hydrogen bonding and used them to develop a selective detection method. Because phosphorescence has a longer lifetime than fluorescence, the technique avoids interference from background fluorescence in environmental samples. The method achieved 91-108% recovery rates in pond water and mud samples, enabling detection of polyamide microplastics without complex pretreatment.