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Papers
108 resultsShowing papers from Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier
ClearAquatic ecosystem indices, linking ecosystem health to human health risks
Researchers reviewed indicators used to assess aquatic ecosystem health and found that most existing tools don't adequately capture the risks that degraded water ecosystems pose to human health and well-being. They propose a new set of combined indicators — covering chemical contaminants, pathogens, and biological markers — to better link ecosystem health monitoring to human health outcomes.
The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers
Researchers reanalyzed data on microplastics in rivers and oceans and found that previous estimates of how much plastic rivers deliver to the ocean were overestimated by 100 to 1,000 times. This means microplastics actually stay at the ocean surface much longer than previously thought, lasting years rather than days. The finding changes our understanding of where ocean microplastics come from and how long marine life and potentially seafood are exposed to them.
Standardization of monitoring data reassesses spatial distribution of aquatic microplastics concentrations worldwide
Researchers created a new method to standardize microplastic measurements across different studies worldwide, enabling accurate comparisons for the first time. After applying the correction, they found that North America had the highest average microplastic concentrations in fresh water, and that contamination levels closely tracked human development indicators. This standardized approach is an important step toward understanding the true scale of microplastic pollution in the water people use.
Understanding the Fragmentation Pattern of Marine Plastic Debris
Researchers collected and analyzed marine plastic debris from the North Atlantic to better understand how plastics fragment in the ocean over time. They found that degradation followed predictable patterns, with UV exposure and wave action producing increasingly smaller particles that became more brittle and chemically altered. The study helps explain why estimated microplastic quantities in the ocean account for only about 1% of annual plastic inputs, suggesting much of it fragments into particles too small to detect with current methods.
Strain localization in the Alloy 718 Ni-based superalloy: From room temperature to 650 °C
This study investigates how a nickel-based superalloy deforms at different temperatures using high-resolution imaging techniques. The paper is not related to microplastics or human health. It focuses on the mechanical behavior of metal alloys used in engineering applications, examining how strain localizes in the material's internal structure at temperatures up to 650 degrees Celsius.
Applications of Starch Biopolymers for a Sustainable Modern Agriculture
This review explores how starch-based biopolymers can replace conventional plastic products in agriculture, including mulch films, packaging, and soil amendments. Researchers found that starch bioplastics are biodegradable under natural conditions and can reduce the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils. The study highlights the potential of these bio-based materials to support more sustainable farming practices while reducing plastic pollution.
Microplastics: What happens in the human digestive tract? First evidences in adults using in vitro gut models
Researchers used an advanced artificial gut model to study what happens when polyethylene microplastics pass through the human digestive tract under conditions mimicking repeated exposure. They found that microplastics altered the composition of gut bacteria and affected the intestinal barrier without causing overt toxicity. This is among the first studies to simulate realistic human digestive exposure to microplastics, suggesting subtle but meaningful effects on gut health.
A membrane cascade for size-based separation and concentration of nanoplastics in environmental waters
Researchers developed a cascade system of membrane filters that can separate and concentrate nanoplastics from environmental water samples by size. They demonstrated that the system effectively isolates nanoplastic particles while tracking recovery rates using fluorescent markers. The technology addresses a major challenge in nanoplastic research by providing a reliable method to extract these extremely small particles from water for accurate measurement and analysis.
Global environmental plastics dispersal under OECD policy scenarios towards 2060
Researchers modeled how global plastic pollution would spread through the environment under different policy scenarios developed by the OECD, looking ahead to 2060. They found that even with ambitious policy action, significant amounts of plastic will continue leaking into aquatic environments unless waste management improves dramatically worldwide. The study suggests that coordinated global policies targeting both plastic production and waste management are essential to curb environmental plastic pollution.
Gut microbiota of aquatic organisms: A key endpoint for ecotoxicological studies
This review examines how environmental contaminants including microplastics, pesticides, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals affect the gut microbiota of aquatic organisms. Researchers highlight that changes in gut bacterial communities can serve as sensitive indicators of pollution exposure and may have downstream effects on host fitness. The study calls for improved methodologies to better link contaminant-induced shifts in gut microbiota to measurable health outcomes in aquatic species.
Spatial variability of Saharan dust deposition revealed through a citizen science campaign
Researchers used a citizen science campaign to collect dust-on-snow samples across the Pyrenees and Alps following a major Saharan dust event in February 2021. They found that the amount and particle size of deposited dust decreased with distance from the source, and south-facing slopes accumulated more dust. The study demonstrates how citizen science can fill gaps in understanding atmospheric dust transport, which also carries microplastics and other pollutants across long distances.
A Review of the Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistance through Wastewater Treatment Plants: Current Situation in Sri Lanka and Future Perspectives
This review examines how wastewater treatment plants contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance in the environment, with a focus on the situation in Sri Lanka. Researchers found that conventional treatment processes often fail to fully eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes from effluent. The study calls for upgraded treatment technologies and better monitoring to address this growing public health concern.
Removal of microplastics and nanoplastics in water treatment processes: A systematic literature review
Researchers systematically reviewed 103 studies across 26 water treatment plants in 12 countries to assess how well various technologies remove microplastics and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that while coagulation, filtration, and advanced treatments help, significant gaps remain. The review identifies that no single process achieves complete removal, leaving microplastics as a persistent contaminant in treated water supplies.
Microplastics in the insular marine environment of the Southwest Indian Ocean carry a microbiome including antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria: A case study from Reunion Island
Researchers studied the microbial communities growing on microplastics collected from the waters around Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. They found that these plastic-associated microbiomes included bacteria carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, which differ from what is typically found in the surrounding seawater. The findings highlight that ocean microplastics can serve as floating platforms for potentially harmful, drug-resistant microbes even in remote island environments.
Exposure to polyethylene microplastics alters immature gut microbiome in an infant in vitro gut model
Researchers used an artificial infant gut model to study how chronic exposure to polyethylene microplastics affects the developing intestinal microbiome. They found that microplastics shifted gut microbial composition, increasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria such as Enterobacteriaceae while decreasing beneficial butyrate production. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion may disrupt the gut microbiome of infants, though no significant damage to the intestinal barrier was observed.
Effects of Pollution on Fish Behavior, Personality, and Cognition: Some Research Perspectives
This review examined how pollutants, including microplastics, affect fish behavior, personality, and cognitive abilities. Researchers identified that neurotoxic effects of pollutants can alter behavioral traits and cognitive function in fish, which may in turn affect their fitness and survival, and proposed new research perspectives for understanding how environmental contamination drives behavioral variation in wild fish populations.
Understanding Interface Exchanges for Assessing Environmental Sorption of Additives from Microplastics: Current Knowledge and Perspectives
This review examines how chemical additives move between microplastics and the surrounding environment, including water, soil, and living organisms. The study highlights the complexity of these interactions and emphasizes that understanding how microplastics absorb and release chemicals is essential for properly assessing their environmental and health risks.
Swarm Robotics: Past, Present, and Future [Point of View]
This article reviews the history, current state, and future directions of swarm robotics, which involves coordinating large groups of robots inspired by natural systems like insect colonies and bird flocks. While not directly related to microplastic research, swarm robotics technologies have potential applications in environmental monitoring and pollution cleanup efforts.
Earth Observations for Monitoring Marine Coastal Hazards and Their Drivers
Researchers reviewed the use of Earth observation technologies for monitoring coastal hazards including pollution, sea-level changes, and extreme weather events. The study highlights how satellite-based monitoring and forecasting systems are increasingly important for managing risks to densely populated coastal zones, including emerging threats from marine pollution such as microplastics.
Interactive effect of urbanization and flood in modulating microplastic pollution in rivers
Researchers sampled the Garonne River upstream and downstream of a large urban area during flood events and found that microplastic concentrations increased 5 to 8 fold during floods. The study suggests that urbanization significantly modulates freshwater microplastic pollution during flood episodes, with downstream urban sites showing greater changes in microplastic composition and degradation levels.
Lanternfish as bioindicator of microplastics in the deep sea: A spatiotemporal analysis using museum specimens
Using archived museum specimens of lanternfish collected from 1999 to 2017, researchers tracked microplastic ingestion trends in one of the world's most abundant deep-sea vertebrates. They found that 55% of 1,167 specimens contained microplastics, with ingestion probability increasing over time, and that migration patterns were the strongest predictor of contamination levels.
Influencing factors for microplastic intake in abundant deep-sea lanternfishes (Myctophidae)
Researchers found microplastics in 68% of mesopelagic lanternfish from the Southwestern Tropical Atlantic, with body size and feeding depth identified as key factors influencing microplastic intake in these abundant deep-sea fish.
Plastic additives and microplastics as emerging contaminants: Mechanisms and analytical assessment
Researchers reviewed how chemical additives mixed into plastics during manufacturing — including stabilizers, flame retardants, and plasticizers — can leach out throughout a plastic's lifecycle and pose risks to ecosystems and human health, with microplastics acting as carriers that concentrate and transport these hazardous chemicals.
Evidence of free tropospheric and long-range transport of microplastic at Pic du Midi Observatory
Researchers found microplastic particles in the free troposphere at nearly 2,900 meters elevation at Pic du Midi Observatory, with air trajectory modeling showing intercontinental and trans-oceanic transport, demonstrating that microplastics can travel vast distances through the upper atmosphere.