Papers

Acute toxicity of nanoplastics on Daphnia and Gammarus neonates: Effects of surface charge, heteroaggregation, and water properties

Researchers examined nanoplastic toxicity on crustacean neonates and found that smaller particles (20-40 nm) were more toxic, with surface charge and aggregation behavior being the primary factors influencing toxicity depending on species and water conditions.

Application of transcriptomic profiling to investigate the toxicity mechanisms caused by dietary exposure of nanoplastics in fish

Researchers used transcriptomic profiling to evaluate the impact of dietary nanoplastic exposure on European sea bass, finding changes in gene expression in intestinal tissue after 21 days of feeding with polystyrene nanoparticle-containing food. The study suggests that while no significant changes were observed in enzymatic stress markers, nanoplastics may trigger subtle molecular-level responses in the fish gut.

Nanopolystyrene beads affect motility and reproductive success of oyster spermatozoa (<i>Crassostrea gigas</i>)

Polystyrene nanoplastics with positively charged surfaces caused dramatic reductions in oyster sperm motility and fertilization success at relatively low concentrations, while negatively charged particles only affected motility at higher doses. The study raises concerns about how nanoplastic surface chemistry affects reproductive success in commercially important marine species.

The NORMAN Association and the European Partnership for Chemicals Risk Assessment (PARC): let’s cooperate!

Researchers from the NORMAN Network and EU's new PARC chemical safety program outlined how their combined expertise in emerging contaminants — including microplastics — and shared data tools can strengthen Europe's ability to detect and regulate newly identified chemical risks before they cause widespread harm.

Effects of drying on plastic fragmentation and microplastic size on the functional role of a shredder organism Gammarus fossarum.

This study found that drying conditions in intermittent rivers accelerate plastic fragmentation, producing more and smaller microplastics as drying duration increases. Subsequent lab experiments showed these smaller particles were more lethal to the freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum, a key shredder organism, suggesting that intermittent rivers and seasonal streams — which make up a large fraction of global waterways — may be underappreciated hotspots of microplastic generation and ecological harm.

Critical assessment of the Kendrick mass defect analysis as an innovative approach to process high resolution mass spectrometry data for environmental applications

Researchers reviewed how Kendrick mass defect analysis — a mathematical transformation of high-resolution mass spectrometry data — can efficiently group structurally related compounds such as PFAS, polymers, and natural organic matter, arguing this technique is underutilized in environmental science despite its power for untargeted screening.

Oracle-Orgeval, Long-term Research observatory of the critical zone

This data paper describes the Oracle-Orgeval long-term critical zone observatory, a 104 km2 agricultural catchment 70 km east of Paris that has monitored water quantity and quality for over 50 years, providing a rich interdisciplinary dataset for understanding catchment-scale biogeochemical processes including pollutant transport.

Constructed wetlands for combined sewer overflow treatment: A 30-year review, current trends and future projections

Organ-oriented proteogenomics functional atlas of three aquatic invertebrate sentinel species

Researchers created organ-level proteomic atlases for three aquatic invertebrate sentinel species used in environmental monitoring, identifying thousands of proteins across hepatopancreas, gills, and hemolymph that provide a valuable resource for ecotoxicological studies of pollution impacts.

Why should we matter about fluvial ecosystems with biofilm-embedded microplastics?

This paper asks why fluvial (river) ecosystems with biofilm-embedded microplastics should be a research priority. It is listed as an international audience paper but the abstract contains only that phrase, offering no detail on findings.