Papers

Social exposome and brain health outcomes of dementia across Latin America

This study examined how social factors like education, food insecurity, financial status, and healthcare access over a lifetime affect brain health and dementia risk across six Latin American countries. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because environmental exposures, including pollutants, are part of the broader exposome that shapes long-term health outcomes. The findings emphasize that cumulative social and environmental disadvantages may increase vulnerability to neurological disease.

Editorial: Maternal-fetal interface: new insight in placenta research, volume II

This editorial compiles research showing that microplastics have been detected in human placental tissue and induce cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and metabolic disturbances in placental explants. The collection of studies underscores that environmental contaminants including microplastics represent a significant and urgent threat to placental function and fetal development.

Nano-Enable Materials Promoting Sustainability and Resilience in Modern Agriculture

This review examines how nanomaterials are being developed to promote more sustainable agriculture, including smart delivery systems for fertilizers and pesticides that reduce waste and environmental contamination. Researchers found that nano-enabled formulations can improve crop productivity while minimizing the release of harmful chemicals into soil and water. The study highlights the potential of nanotechnology to help address both food security and environmental pollution challenges in modern farming.

Biodegradable plastics in aquatic ecosystems: latest findings, research gaps, and recommendations

This review challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to aquatic ecosystems, finding that many materials labeled as biodegradable do not fully break down in natural water environments. Researchers found that these plastics can persist in aquatic settings and pose similar risks to wildlife as conventional plastics, including ingestion and chemical leaching. The study recommends more rigorous testing of biodegradability claims under real-world aquatic conditions.

Profiling microplastic fibers in the intertidal sentinel mussel <i>Brachidontes rodriguezii</i> from the coast of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in small mussels along the coast of Argentina's most popular resort city and found plastic particles in nearly 98% of all specimens examined. Surprisingly, the highest contamination levels were found at the least urbanized site, suggesting that agricultural runoff and local water currents, not just city pollution, play important roles in distributing microplastics. The study underscores that microplastic contamination in coastal shellfish is widespread regardless of the level of nearby urban development.

Oxidative stress and histopathological effects by microplastic beads, in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii, and fiddler crab Leptuca pugilator

Researchers exposed crayfish and fiddler crabs to polystyrene microplastic beads for one month and examined the effects on their hepatopancreas, a key digestive organ. Both species showed signs of oxidative stress and tissue damage, with microplastic particles accumulating in their organs. The study provides evidence that even at moderate concentrations, microplastic exposure can cause measurable physiological harm to freshwater and coastal crustaceans.

Social behaviors as welfare indicators in teleost fish

This review examines social behaviors as potential welfare indicators in teleost fish, considering the diversity of reproductive and social structures across species. The study suggests that a comprehensive approach to fish welfare assessment should account for species-specific physiological mechanisms and how behavioral parameters are influenced by environmental enrichment.

A smartphone label-free and automated thermo-analytical method based on image analysis to detect microplastics

Scientists developed a low-cost, smartphone-based method that can identify and count microplastics in environmental samples in under five minutes. The technique works by heating particles and using image analysis to detect which ones melt or change shape, distinguishing plastics from non-plastic particles. The method was successfully tested on soil and sand samples and could serve as a quick, accessible screening tool for microplastic contamination.

Cobalt/carbon quantum dots core-shell nanoparticles as an improved catalyst for Fenton-like reaction

Toward sustainable environmental quality: Identifying priority research questions for Latin America

This paper identifies priority research questions for advancing sustainable environmental quality, synthesizing input from scientists to map the most critical knowledge gaps in pollution, ecosystem health, and environmental management.

Antarctic wastewater: A local source of microplastic pollution

Researchers identified for the first time that a wastewater treatment plant in Antarctica is a local source of microplastic pollution, detecting 64 to 159 particles per liter of wastewater. Over 90% of the identified particles were smaller than 50 micrometers, comprising common polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET, demonstrating the need for improved treatment technologies even in remote polar regions.

Building the Bridge From Aquatic Nanotoxicology to Safety by Design Silver Nanoparticles

This review examined the nanotoxicology of silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments, synthesizing findings on their environmental behavior and biological effects to help bridge the gap between hazard assessment and safety-by-design approaches for engineered nanomaterials.

Toxicity evaluation of the active ingredient acetamiprid and a commercial formulation (Assail® 70) on the non-target gastropod Biomphalaria straminea (Mollusca: Planorbidae)

Adsorption of Methylene Blue and Tetracycline by Zeolites Immobilized on a PBAT Electrospun Membrane

Researchers developed a PBAT electrospun nanofibrous membrane incorporating zeolite that effectively adsorbed methylene blue and tetracycline from water, offering a promising material for removing emerging contaminants from aquatic environments.

Determination of Dicofol in Tea Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Coupled Chemometrics

Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy method combined with chemometrics for detecting the pesticide dicofol in tea, achieving rapid and sensitive quantification that could support food safety monitoring.

Identification and quantification of microplastics in the Antarctic coastal waters using laser direct infrared (LDIR)

This was the first study to detect microplastics smaller than 20 µm in Antarctic surface waters near Carlini Station, using Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) spectroscopy. Microplastics were found in all 18 samples at a median abundance of approximately 0.1 particles/L, extending the known size range of Antarctic microplastic contamination.

Plastics in scene: A review of the effect of plastics in aquatic crustaceans

A mass budget and box model of global plastics cycling, degradation and dispersal in the land-ocean-atmosphere system

Researchers built a global computer model tracking how 8,300 million metric tons of plastic produced since 1950 cycles through land, ocean, and atmosphere as it fragments into microplastics over time. Their modeling shows that even eliminating all new plastic releases from 2025 onward would still leave small microplastics cycling through the environment for millennia, because of the enormous stockpile of plastic waste already accumulated on land.

A mass budget and box model of global plastics cycling, degradation and dispersal in the land-ocean-atmosphere system

This study developed a mass budget and box model to trace the global cycling, degradation, and dispersal of plastics across environmental compartments over time, estimating how plastic accumulates in ocean surface waters, deep sea, beaches, and soils. The model predicted that most plastic entering the ocean ultimately settles in sediments rather than persisting at the surface.

Solar UV radiation in a changing world: roles of cryosphere—land—water—atmosphere interfaces in global biogeochemical cycles

Latin America: Knowledge diversity for a sustainable future

This editorial introduces a special series highlighting Latin American environmental research on pollutants including microplastics, hydrocarbons, metals, and pesticides, emphasizing the value of incorporating diverse knowledge systems and community participation in addressing transdisciplinary environmental challenges.

Qualitative Study of the Transport of Microplastics in the Río de la Plata Estuary, Argentina, through Numerical Simulation

Numerical simulations of microplastic transport in the Río de la Plata estuary — one of South America's most heavily urbanised waterways — showed that wind is a dominant driver of particle movement and that particle size matters more than shape for predicting where plastics end up. The study provides the first model-based picture of how microplastics disperse in this major regional system, laying groundwork for identifying pollution hotspots and prioritising clean-up efforts.

Editorial: Lifestyle and environmental factors and human fertility

This editorial introduces research on how lifestyle and environmental factors — including microplastics — affect human fertility. Global infertility rates are rising, with evidence of declining sperm counts in men and increasing reproductive disorders in women, particularly in low- and middle-income regions.

When microplastics meet electroanalysis: future analytical trends for an emerging threat

This review examines the evolution of analytical methods for detecting microplastics, highlighting the emerging advantages of electroanalytical sensors — particularly for sub-micron particles — over traditional spectroscopic and thermal methods, and discussing the growing role of artificial intelligence in automated microplastic analysis.