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Papers
224 resultsShowing papers from University of Vienna
ClearA critical review on plastic waste life cycle assessment and management: Challenges, research gaps, and future perspectives
This review examines the full environmental impact of plastics from production through disposal, noting that life cycle assessments often produce unexpected results when comparing bio-based and petroleum-based plastics. A major gap exists because microplastic pollution is not yet factored into these environmental assessments, despite growing evidence of its ecological harm.
Multiomics Provides Insights into the Impacts of Microplastics on Heavy Metal(Loid) Accumulation in Lettuce under Simulated Acid Precipitation
Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased cadmium uptake in lettuce shoots by 51% under acid rain conditions, while decreasing arsenic accumulation by 48%. The microplastics altered soil bacteria and disrupted key metabolic pathways, suggesting that the combination of microplastic pollution and acid rain may change how toxic metals move from soil into our food crops.
Micro- and Nanoplastics Breach the Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB): Biomolecular Corona’s Role Revealed
Researchers showed that nanometer-sized polystyrene particles can reach the mouse brain within just 2 hours of being swallowed, crossing the blood-brain barrier that normally protects the brain from harmful substances. Computer simulations revealed that cholesterol molecules on the particle surface helped the nanoplastics slip through this barrier, suggesting that the tiniest plastic particles in our environment could potentially affect brain health.
Microplastics role in cell migration and distribution during cancer cell division
Researchers exposed human colorectal cancer cells to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics and found the particles persisted inside cells without being eliminated, were passed from parent to daughter cells during division, and significantly increased cell migration -- a key step in cancer spreading. These findings suggest microplastics could act as hidden promoters of tumor progression in the gut, where plastic exposure through food is highest.
Fundamentals and Advances in Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels and Their Applications: A Review
This review covers stimuli-responsive hydrogels, which are smart materials that change shape or behavior in response to environmental triggers. Among their many applications, these materials can remove heavy metals and pollutants from water, and they show promise in biomedical settings like drug delivery and wound healing. While not focused specifically on microplastics, these technologies could be adapted for environmental cleanup of plastic pollution.
Mixtures of organic micropollutants exacerbated in vitro neurotoxicity of prymnesins and contributed to aquatic toxicity during a toxic algal bloom
During a toxic algal bloom that killed hundreds of tons of fish in the Oder River in 2022, researchers found that organic micropollutants in the water made the algal toxins even more harmful to human nerve cells in lab tests. While this study focuses on chemical pollution rather than microplastics directly, it demonstrates how mixtures of environmental contaminants can interact to amplify health risks beyond what any single pollutant would cause alone.
Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem
This study argues that groundwater should be recognized as a "keystone ecosystem" because of its critical role in sustaining surface environments, biodiversity, and human water supplies. Over half of the world's land surface has significant interaction with groundwater, yet it remains overlooked in conservation planning. Protecting groundwater is essential for planetary health, including safeguarding water sources from emerging contaminants like microplastics.
Micro- and nanoplastics as transport vectors for organic contaminants in the environment: A critical review
This critical review examines whether microplastics and nanoplastics truly act as significant carriers of organic pollutants in the environment. The analysis suggests that in marine environments, the transport of contaminants by microplastics is generally insignificant compared to other exposure routes like water and food. However, in agricultural soils, nanoplastics in particular may play a more meaningful role in moving pollutants, which could eventually affect the safety of crops grown in contaminated soil.
Polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics affect the digestion of cow's milk proteins in infant model of gastric digestion
Researchers found that polypropylene micro- and nanoplastics, commonly released from baby bottles during heating, interfere with the digestion of milk proteins in a simulated infant stomach model. The plastic particles bound to milk proteins and changed how they were broken down by digestive enzymes, with the effect being stronger in the infant model than in the adult model. This is concerning because incomplete protein digestion in infants could affect nutrient absorption during a critical period of growth and development.
Photoaging enhances the leaching of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and transformation products from polyvinyl chloride microplastics into aquatic environments
This study found that sunlight aging of PVC microplastics accelerates the release of DEHP, a hormone-disrupting plasticizer, by 1.5 times compared to new plastics. The aging process also creates harmful breakdown products like MEHP and phthalic acid that leach into water. Since most microplastics in the environment have been exposed to sunlight, the actual release of toxic chemicals from plastic pollution is likely much higher than estimates based on new plastic suggest.
To Waste or Not to Waste: Questioning Potential Health Risks of Micro- and Nanoplastics with a Focus on Their Ingestion and Potential Carcinogenicity
Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics ingested through food travel through the gut, disrupt the microbiome, trigger inflammation, and may act as carriers for toxic chemicals — a 'Trojan Horse' effect — potentially raising cancer risk. The authors call for a rethinking of consumer culture alongside further scientific investigation.
Uptake of tire-derived compounds in leafy vegetables and implications for human dietary exposure
Scientists measured tire-derived chemicals in commercial leafy vegetables from four countries and found six different tire compounds present, including some linked to toxicity in aquatic life. Tire particles are one of the most common types of microplastic in the environment, and their chemical additives can be taken up by food crops through contaminated soil and water. While the estimated daily intake from vegetables alone was relatively low, this study confirms that tire-related microplastic pollution is entering the human food supply.
Environmental factors strongly influence the leaching of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from polyvinyl chloride microplastics
Researchers found that environmental conditions like temperature, UV light, salinity, and pH strongly influence how fast the plasticizer DEHP leaches from PVC microplastics into water. Higher temperatures and UV exposure significantly accelerated the release of this endocrine-disrupting chemical. This is important because it means microplastics in warm, sunlit waters may release harmful additives much faster than lab studies under standard conditions would predict.
Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics Leach Phthalates into the Aquatic Environment over Decades
Researchers measured how phthalate plasticisers leach from polyvinyl chloride microplastics into water over extended time periods and found that the release process can continue for decades. The study identified the specific mass transfer mechanisms governing leaching rates for three common phthalates. These findings suggest that PVC microplastics represent a long-term source of chemical contamination in aquatic environments, far longer than previously appreciated.
Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
Researchers compiled global data on airborne microplastics and found that fewer particles enter the atmosphere than previously estimated, with land-based sources producing far more particles by number than ocean sources. Concentrations over land were 27 times higher than over the ocean. This study helps clarify how much microplastic people breathe in and shows that urban and land-based environments are the primary sources of airborne microplastic exposure.
Are We Speaking the Same Language? Recommendations for a Definition and Categorization Framework for Plastic Debris
This review examines the full lifecycle of microplastic pollution, from how plastics enter waterways to how they degrade and interact with ecosystems. Researchers found that microplastics serve as carriers for chemical pollutants and pathogens, and that their small size allows them to be ingested by a wide range of organisms across the food chain. The study emphasizes that understanding the fate and transport of microplastics is essential for developing effective pollution mitigation strategies.
Microplastics as an Emerging Potential Threat: Toxicity, Life Cycle Assessment, and Management
This review covers the full life cycle of microplastics, from how they enter the environment to their toxic effects on living organisms. Microplastics accumulate in aquatic and land ecosystems, where they can harm organisms by causing oxidative stress, disrupting hormones, and damaging organs. The authors emphasize that with global plastic production still rising, better waste management and recycling methods are urgently needed to reduce human and environmental exposure.
Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research
This paper argues that chemical pollution, including microplastics, deserves far more attention in biodiversity research alongside climate change and habitat loss. Evidence shows that anthropogenic chemicals are a growing threat to ecosystems worldwide, yet pollution is often left out of biodiversity studies. The authors call for interdisciplinary collaboration between ecologists and environmental chemists to better understand and combat pollution-driven biodiversity decline.
Regulating “forever chemicals”: social data are necessary for the successful implementation of the essential use concept
This paper proposes a framework for regulating PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," using the Essential Use Concept, which assumes a chemical should be phased out unless proven necessary and without alternatives. While focused on PFAS rather than microplastics, the regulatory approach is relevant because both are persistent synthetic pollutants that accumulate in the environment and human body. The authors argue that effective regulation requires input from affected communities, not just scientists.
Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture
Researchers reviewed how plastics used in farming — from mulch films to storage bins — are building up in soils worldwide, and mapped out practical strategies to curb the problem. They conclude that while plastics can't be fully replaced yet without harming food security, smarter use, better recycling, and biodegradable alternatives are essential steps forward.
The Anthropocene: Comparing Its Meaning in Geology (Chronostratigraphy) with Conceptual Approaches Arising in Other Disciplines
This article compares how the term "Anthropocene" is used in geology versus other academic disciplines like social sciences and humanities. In geology, the Anthropocene is proposed as a formal epoch beginning in the mid-twentieth century, marked by measurable changes in the geological record from industrialization and globalization. Other fields use the term more flexibly, often extending it much further back in time and applying it without reference to specific geological markers.
Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs
Researchers conducted the first standardized cross-national survey of plastic debris in 38 lakes and reservoirs, finding plastic in every water body sampled and showing that densely populated urban lakes and large reservoirs with long water-retention times accumulate plastic at concentrations rivaling the most polluted ocean garbage patches.
Ferroptosis is the key cellular process mediating Bisphenol A responses in Chlamydomonas and a promising target for enhancing microalgae-based bioremediation
Researchers discovered that ferroptosis, a specific type of cell death involving iron and lipid damage, is the primary cellular mechanism through which bisphenol A (BPA) — a common microplastic component — harms green algae. By understanding this pathway, they identified potential targets for enhancing the ability of microalgae to break down BPA pollution. The findings could help improve algae-based bioremediation strategies for cleaning up plastic-related contaminants in water.
Quality-by-design and current good practices for the production of test and reference materials for micro- and nano-plastic research
Researchers outlined best practices for producing standardized reference materials used in micro- and nanoplastic research, covering both top-down fragmentation and bottom-up precipitation methods. They provided examples using common polymers like polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PET across different size ranges. The study addresses a critical need in the field, since reliable reference materials are essential for validating the analytical methods used to detect and measure plastic pollution.