Papers

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

Biochar-mediated remediation of uranium-contaminated soils: evidence, mechanisms, and perspectives

This meta-analysis found that adding biochar to uranium-contaminated soils significantly reduced uranium bioavailability by about 59% and shoot uranium accumulation by about 40%. Biochar works through adsorption, complexation, and by enhancing soil microbial communities, demonstrating its potential as a practical remediation tool for heavy metal contamination in agricultural lands.

Meta-analysis of impacts of microplastics on plant heavy metal(loid) accumulation

A meta-analysis of 3,226 observations found that microplastics promoted plant uptake of cadmium (11%), lead (30%), and copper (47.1%) in shoots, but decreased arsenic accumulation by 22.6%. Microplastics increased available soil concentrations of these metal cations while lowering soil pH, with machine learning revealing that soil pH and total heavy metal concentration are the primary drivers of plant metal accumulation.

Micro/nanoplastics pollution poses a potential threat to soil health

This large meta-analysis of over 5,000 observations found that micro- and nanoplastics in soil harm crop growth, soil organisms, and microbial communities while increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The findings suggest that plastic pollution poses a broad threat to soil health, which could ultimately affect food production and human well-being.

Health risk of human exposure to microplastics: a review

Polydopamine-modified sodium alginate hydrogel for microplastics removal: Adsorption performance, characteristics, and kinetics

Scientists created a hydrogel made from seaweed-based sodium alginate coated with polydopamine that can remove up to 99.6% of microplastics from drinking water. The hydrogel works regardless of the microplastics' size or surface charge, and it can be reused multiple times, making it a promising low-cost tool for reducing microplastic exposure through tap water.

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.

Advanced understanding of the natural forces accelerating aging and release of black microplastics (tire wear particles) based on mechanism and toxicity analysis

Tire wear particles, a major but often overlooked source of microplastics in water, release heavy metals (especially zinc) and toxic organic chemicals as they age under sunlight and heat. The aging process increases the toxicity of these released substances to cells, raising concerns about long-term health effects from this widespread form of microplastic pollution.

Leaching of chemicals from microplastics: A review of chemical types, leaching mechanisms and influencing factors

This review examines how chemicals added to plastics during manufacturing, including flame retardants, plasticizers, and antioxidants, can leach out of microplastics once they enter the body or the environment. These released chemicals can disrupt hormones, harm brain development, and damage kidneys, making the chemical cargo of microplastics a significant concern for human health beyond the physical particles themselves.

Analytical challenges in detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in soil-plant systems

This systematic review found that no universal, efficient, or cost-effective analytical method exists for detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in soil and plant samples, identifying this as the primary barrier to understanding plastic contamination in food systems. Current techniques like Py-GC/MS and vibrational spectroscopy each have significant limitations, especially for the smallest nanoplastic fractions that may pose the greatest health risks.

A Critical Review of an Environmental Risk Substance Induced by Aging Microplastics: Insights into Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals

This review examines how microplastics generate long-lasting free radicals as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight and chemical reactions. These environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) on aged microplastics can cause oxidative stress and damage to living cells, adding a previously underappreciated layer of toxicity beyond the physical harm caused by the plastic particles themselves.

Microplastic pollution promotes soil respiration: A global‐scale meta‐analysis

This global meta-analysis pooled data from multiple studies and found that microplastic pollution in soil increased CO2 emissions by 25%. Microplastics boost certain soil microbes while reducing overall microbial diversity, changing how carbon cycles through the environment. While focused on soil health, this research shows how widespread microplastic pollution is reshaping ecosystems in ways that could ultimately affect climate and agriculture.

Interaction of microplastics with heavy metals in soil: Mechanisms, influencing factors and biological effects

This review summarizes how microplastics and heavy metals interact in soil, where microplastics can absorb and carry toxic metals through the food chain and into the human body. Aging and weathering of microplastics changes their surface properties, making them better at picking up heavy metals, which raises concerns about combined exposure through contaminated crops and water.

Unveiling the impacts of microplastic pollution on soil health: A comprehensive review

This review summarizes research from 2021-2024 on how microplastics in agricultural soil harm crop growth, reduce soil organism survival and reproduction, disrupt microbial communities, and alter nutrient cycling. These soil health impacts are relevant to human health because they can compromise food safety and allow microplastics to enter the food supply through contaminated crops.

Combined contamination of microplastic and antibiotic alters the composition of microbial community and metabolism in wheat and maize rhizosphere soil

A study found that when soil is contaminated with both microplastics and antibiotics together, the damage to wheat and maize seedlings is worse than from either contaminant alone, with increased root oxidative stress and disrupted soil bacterial communities. This combined contamination, common in agricultural soils treated with plastic mulch and livestock manure, could affect crop health and food quality.

Synergistic effect and mechanism analysis of biochar regulator on heavy metal passivation and microplastic degradation in sewage sludge compost

This study found that adding cotton stalk biochar to sewage sludge during composting simultaneously reduced heavy metal availability by up to 81% and increased microplastic degradation by up to 58%. The biochar worked by promoting beneficial microorganisms and creating conditions that break down plastic particles, offering a practical strategy for treating two common pollutants in sewage that can otherwise end up in agricultural soil and the food chain.

Polystyrene microplastics induce potential toxicity through the gut-mammary axis

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics consumed by nursing mice damaged both the gut and mammary glands, disrupting the protective barrier between blood and breast milk. This gut-mammary connection means microplastics could potentially affect not just the person who consumes them but also nursing infants through contaminated breast milk.

Female zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics induces reproductive toxicity in mother and their offspring

Researchers exposed female zebrafish to polystyrene nanoplastics for six weeks and found the particles disrupted sex hormone levels and oocyte development, reducing egg production in the exposed generation and carrying endocrine disruption effects into unexposed offspring through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.

A systematic review of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between microplastics and microorganism in the environment

Reproductive toxicity of microplastics in female mice and their offspring from induction of oxidative stress

When female mice were fed microplastics for 30 days, their egg quality, fertilization rates, and fertility dropped significantly due to oxidative stress and DNA damage. Even more concerning, the reproductive harm carried over to the next generation, with the daughters of exposed mice also showing reduced fertility. This study suggests that microplastic exposure could affect not just a person's own reproductive health but also that of their children.

A critical review of microplastics in the soil-plant system: Distribution, uptake, phytotoxicity and prevention

This review brings together data from over 1,000 sampling sites worldwide to map microplastic contamination in soil and its effects on plants. Microplastics can delay seed germination, stunt plant growth, inhibit photosynthesis, and cause genetic damage to crops. The findings raise concerns about food safety because microplastics in agricultural soil could both reduce crop yields and introduce contaminants into the food chain.

Ecotoxicity of Biodegradable Microplastics and Bio-based Microplastics: A Review of in vitro and in vivo Studies

This review examines whether "eco-friendly" biodegradable and bio-based plastics are truly safer than conventional plastics when they break down into microplastics. The findings show that many biodegradable plastics, including popular types like PLA and PBAT, can still cause harm to plants and aquatic organisms, suggesting that simply switching to biodegradable materials does not eliminate microplastic risks.

Soil texture is an important factor determining how microplastics affect soil hydraulic characteristics

This study tested how polypropylene microplastics of different sizes affect how water moves through three types of soil. Adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to absorb and hold water by up to 96%, with clay soils being the most affected. These changes to soil water flow could affect crop growth and potentially increase the movement of other pollutants through contaminated farmland.