Papers

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.

A realistic combined exposure scenario: effect of microplastics and atrazine on Piaractus mesopotamicus

Scientists studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the herbicide atrazine on juvenile pacu fish in a realistic exposure scenario. Researchers found that the combination of these contaminants caused tissue damage and biochemical changes, including altered enzyme activity and genetic damage. The study suggests that microplastics and agricultural chemicals together may pose greater risks to freshwater fish than either pollutant alone.

Microplastics and plastic additives as contaminants of emerging concern: A multi-biomarker approach using Rhinella arenarum tadpoles

Researchers exposed toad tadpoles to polyethylene microplastics and the flame retardant TBBPA, both alone and in combination, for 30 days. They found that the mixture produced different toxic effects than either substance alone, affecting growth, enzyme activity, and cellular stress markers. The study highlights the importance of studying microplastics alongside common plastic additives, since their combined effects may differ from individual exposures.

Sublethal Biochemical Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and TBBPA in Experimentally Exposed Freshwater Shrimp Palaemonetes argentinus

Researchers assessed the biochemical effects of polyethylene microplastics and the flame retardant TBBPA, individually and combined, on freshwater shrimp at environmentally realistic concentrations. The study found that combined exposure decreased acetylcholinesterase and glutathione S-transferase activity while increasing thyroid hormone T4 levels, suggesting disruption of nervous system function, xenobiotic metabolism, and endocrine regulation. These results indicate that co-exposure to microplastics and plastic additives may compromise key physiological processes in freshwater crustaceans.

Ecotoxicological Characterization of Lithium as a “Timebomb” in Aquatic Systems: Tadpoles of the South American Toad Rhinella arenarum (Hensel, 1867) as Model Organisms

Researchers evaluated the toxic effects of lithium on South American toad tadpoles, testing both lethal concentrations and levels found in the environment. They found that even environmentally relevant lithium concentrations caused developmental abnormalities and behavioral changes in the tadpoles over one to two weeks of exposure. The study raises concerns about increasing lithium pollution from mining and battery production affecting freshwater ecosystems.

Glyphosate and glufosinate ammonium, herbicides commonly used on genetically modified crops, and their interaction with microplastics: Ecotoxicity in anuran tadpoles

Researchers studied the combined effects of glyphosate and glufosinate ammonium herbicides with polyethylene microplastics on frog tadpoles. They found that the presence of microplastics generally increased the toxicity of both herbicides, with computational analysis confirming spontaneous chemical interactions between the herbicides and polyethylene surfaces.

Catalytic approaches for the removal of microplastics from water: Recent advances and future opportunities

Researchers reviewed catalytic methods — including biological processes, advanced oxidation, and hydrolysis — for breaking down or removing microplastics from water, highlighting promising progress while noting that no single approach yet works efficiently at the scale needed for real-world water treatment.

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.

Use of constructed wetlands in Latin America: Assessment of current status, opportunities and challenges in Mexico, Chile and Argentina

Researchers reviewed over 230 constructed wetland implementations across Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, finding distinct national development trajectories shaped by climate, regulatory context, and socioeconomic factors, with horizontal subsurface flow systems predominating in Mexico.

Responses of freshwater organisms to multiple stressors in a climate change scenario: a review on small-scale experiments

This review summarizes 156 publications on how freshwater organisms respond to combinations of temperature and salinity changes along with other stressors including metals, pesticides, and emerging contaminants like microplastics in controlled small-scale experiments. It finds that combined stressor effects are often non-additive and species-specific, with significant knowledge gaps remaining for microplastic interactions under climate change scenarios.

Effect of microplastics on the activity of carboxylesterase and phosphatase enzymes in Scinax squalirostris tadpoles

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics ingested by Scinax squalirostris tadpoles inhibited carboxylesterase and alkaline phosphatase enzyme activities, suggesting biochemical disruption in an amphibian species. The study adds to limited evidence on microplastic toxicity in amphibians, a group already facing global population declines.

Tuning the Properties of Xylan/Chitosan-Based Films by Temperature and Citric Acid Crosslinking Agent

This paper is not about microplastics in an environmental or health context; it describes the development of xylan-chitosan bioplastic films crosslinked with citric acid as a petroleum-free alternative packaging material, focused on material properties rather than pollution or exposure.

Potential of the microalgae Chlorella fusca (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) for biomass production and urban wastewater phycoremediation

Researchers tested the microalgae Chlorella fusca as a low-cost tool for cleaning urban wastewater and found it can remove up to 55% of nitrogen and 41% of dissolved carbon while simultaneously producing proteins and lipids that could be used for biofuel — a potential win for both pollution control and renewable energy.

The role of precipitation events in the water quality of a buffer urban ecosystem

Researchers quantified how precipitation events affect water quality in an urban drainage reservoir in Santa Fe, Argentina, finding that stormwater runoff substantially elevated concentrations of nutrients, heavy metals, microplastics, hydrocarbons, and coliform bacteria during and after rainfall events throughout an annual hydrological cycle.

The Effect of Glyphosate And Ciprofloxacin Eexposure On The Gut Bacterial Microbiota Diversity of Rhinella Arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae) Tadpoles

Researchers found that exposure to the herbicide glyphosate and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin significantly altered gut bacteria in toad tadpoles, with some combinations reducing gut microbial diversity. This shows that agricultural chemical runoff can damage the microbiome of amphibians, which are already highly vulnerable to environmental contamination.

Alternative Conservation Paradigms and Ecological Knowledge of Small-Scale Artisanal Fishers in a Changing Marine Scenario in Argentina

Risk of chlorine dioxide as emerging contaminant during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: enzyme, cardiac, and behavior effects on amphibian tadpoles

¿Qué estudiamos los ecólogos cuando investigamos los residuos plásticos en ambientes terrestres y dulceacuícolas de la Argentina?

This Argentinian review surveys ecological research on plastic residues in terrestrial and freshwater environments across different Argentine regions. The authors discuss both efforts to mitigate plastic pollution and studies quantifying plastic residue accumulation in local ecosystems.