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Papers
435 resultsShowing papers from National Research Council
ClearNano- and microplastics commonly cause adverse impacts on plants at environmentally relevant levels: A systematic review
Systematic review of 78 studies found that nano- and microplastics commonly cause adverse effects on plants even at environmentally relevant concentrations, with germination and root growth more strongly affected than shoot growth during early development. Chlorophyll levels were consistently reduced while stress indicators (ROS) and antioxidant enzymes were consistently upregulated across species.
An Overview on Microplastics Hazards to the Marine Ecosystem and Humans’ Health
This overview examines how microplastics contaminate marine environments and threaten both ocean life and human health. Microplastics can be swallowed by marine organisms, pass through intestinal walls, spread to other organs, and carry toxic chemicals up the food chain to humans. The main ways people are exposed include eating contaminated seafood, breathing in airborne particles, and skin contact.
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.
Passive biomonitoring of airborne microplastics using lichens: A comparison between urban, natural and protected environments
Researchers used lichens as natural air pollution monitors and found that microplastics accumulate in lichen tissue along a gradient from natural areas to city centers, with urban sites in Rome showing twice the contamination of natural sites. Over 97% of the trapped particles were fibers, and the study also documented the first evidence of larger mesoplastic pieces caught by lichens -- confirming that airborne plastic pollution increases with human activity.
Remote Data for Mapping and Monitoring Coastal Phenomena and Parameters: A Systematic Review
This systematic review of over 15,000 papers identified 103 coastal phenomena and 39 parameters that can now be accurately mapped and monitored using remote sensing data. The authors validated 91% of retrieved parameters, demonstrating that satellite and aerial remote sensing has become a comprehensive tool for tracking coastal environmental changes including pollution and habitat degradation.
Characteristics and quantification of small microplastics (<100 µm) in seasonal svalbard snow on glaciers and lands
Researchers found tiny microplastic particles (smaller than 100 micrometers) in snow samples from Arctic glaciers and tundra in Svalbard, Norway. The amounts were lower on remote glaciers and higher near the research settlement, showing that these particles travel long distances through the air but also come from nearby human activity. This highlights how microplastic pollution reaches even the most isolated places on Earth.
Freshwater plastisphere: a review on biodiversity, risks, and biodegradation potential with implications for the aquatic ecosystem health
This review examines the communities of microbes that colonize plastic debris in freshwater environments, known as the "plastisphere." These microbial communities include potentially dangerous bacteria and organisms that can carry antibiotic resistance genes, meaning plastic pollution may serve as a vehicle for spreading pathogens and drug-resistant infections through water systems that people rely on.
The fate of post-use biodegradable PBAT-based mulch films buried in agricultural soil
Scientists tracked the breakdown of a biodegradable mulch film in farm soil over 16 months and found that while the film lost more than half its surface area, it released microplastics into the surrounding soil during the process. About 17-23% of the original film material was still recoverable from the soil after nearly 500 days. The study shows that even biodegradable plastics can be a source of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Nanomaterial Ecotoxicology in the Terrestrial and Aquatic Environment: A Systematic Review
This systematic review of 303 studies on nanomaterial ecotoxicity found that research has heavily focused on aquatic organisms while terrestrial impacts remain understudied, creating significant knowledge gaps. Metal oxide nanoparticles like TiO2, ZnO, and Ag showed dose-dependent toxicity across multiple organism types. These findings are relevant to microplastic research because nanoplastics behave similarly to engineered nanomaterials in biological systems, raising parallel toxicity concerns.
Association between Microorganisms and Microplastics: How Does It Change the Host–Pathogen Interaction and Subsequent Immune Response?
This review explores how microplastics act as surfaces where bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms can attach and change their properties. When germs hitchhike on microplastic particles, their physical and chemical traits can shift, potentially tricking or overwhelming the immune system in new ways. The findings suggest that microplastic-associated pathogens could pose unexpected risks to human health by triggering abnormal immune responses.
Paint particle pollution in aquatic environments: Current advances and analytical challenges
This review highlights paint particles as an overlooked but significant source of microplastic pollution in water environments, originating from marine vessels, buildings, and industrial activities. Paint particles carry toxic chemicals including heavy metals and biocides that can leach into water and accumulate in marine organisms, posing risks to both ecosystems and human health through seafood consumption.
Metal-Based Nanoparticles: Antibacterial Mechanisms and Biomedical Application
This review examines how metal-based nanoparticles kill bacteria and their potential use as alternatives to antibiotics in medicine. While not about microplastics directly, the antibacterial mechanisms described are relevant because microplastics in the environment can carry both metal nanoparticles and bacteria on their surfaces. Understanding these interactions helps explain how microplastics may influence the spread or suppression of harmful bacteria in the environment.
Microplastics, microfibers and associated microbiota biofilm analysis in seawater, a case study from the Vesuvian Coast, southern Italy
Researchers analyzed microplastics and microfibers in seawater along the Vesuvian Coast in Italy and characterized the microorganisms growing on their surfaces, known as the plastisphere. They identified potentially harmful bacteria colonizing the plastic particles, including species that could threaten both marine ecosystems and human health. The study highlights that microplastics in the ocean are not just a pollution problem but also serve as vehicles for spreading disease-causing microorganisms.
Are polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics a risk to marine organisms? Acute and chronic effects on the amphipods Gammarus aequicauda
Researchers tested whether polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics, often marketed as a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics, are safe for marine life. Both short-term and long-term exposure to PLA microplastics harmed marine amphipods, causing mortality at high concentrations and reduced growth and reproduction at lower levels. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to the environment and suggests they may pose similar risks as conventional microplastics.
Editorial: Understanding the response of ecosystems to increasing human pressures and climate change – management options
This editorial compiles advances in marine ecosystem management under escalating human pressures, covering tools for cumulative impact assessment, invasive species control, jellyfish and algal bloom management, and habitat restoration. Among emerging stressors highlighted are microplastics, noise, and artificial light, all contributing to cumulative ecological damage in coastal and marine environments.
Multi-matrix approach to microplastic pollution in the bivalve Donax trunculus, sediment and water along the Mediterranean coasts
Researchers studied microplastic contamination across three connected elements along Italy's Mediterranean coast: wedge clams, sediment, and seawater. Both young and adult clams contained microplastics, with fibers being the most common type, confirming that these shellfish accumulate plastic particles from their environment. Since wedge clams are harvested for human consumption, the study highlights how microplastics in coastal waters enter the seafood supply.
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.
Detection of fibrous microplastics and natural microfibers in fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Mullus barbatus and Merluccius merluccius) for human consumption from the Tyrrhenian sea
Scientists examined the gut contents of three popular fish species from the Tyrrhenian Sea sold in markets and found microfibers in all of them. While natural and artificial fibers were the most common, synthetic plastic fibers including polyester were also present. Since these are fish people regularly eat, the study highlights seafood as a pathway for human microplastic exposure and calls for better standardized methods to assess the risk.
Polystyrene micro and nano-particles induce metabolic rewiring in normal human colon cells: A risk factor for human health
Researchers exposed normal human colon cells to polystyrene micro and nanoplastic particles and observed significant metabolic changes in the cells. The study found that these plastic particles altered energy metabolism and cellular pathways in ways that could increase vulnerability to disease. These findings raise concerns that routine ingestion of microplastics through contaminated food may affect normal intestinal cell function in humans.
Proof of concept for a new sensor to monitor marine litter from space
Researchers analyzed 300,000 satellite images of the Mediterranean Sea to track floating marine litter over time, finding that heavy rainfall events drive most litter inputs from land while coastal currents and wind determine how it spreads. The study demonstrates that satellites can reliably map pollution hotspots and detect seasonal trends, making space-based monitoring a practical new tool for managing ocean plastic pollution.
Monitoring of anthropogenic microplastic pollution in antarctic fish (emerald rockcod) from the Terranova Bay after a quarter of century
Scientists analyzed 78 emerald rockcod fish caught in Antarctica's Ross Sea and compared their microplastic contamination to fish from the same area sampled 25 years earlier. They found a shift toward more synthetic fibers and different polymer types, reflecting increased human activity in the region over the past two decades. The study shows that even Antarctica's wildlife is accumulating more microplastics over time, underlining the global reach of plastic pollution.
A decade of advances in black soldier fly research: from genetics to sustainability
This review summarizes a decade of research on the black soldier fly, an insect increasingly used for animal feed, human food, and waste processing. The review covers how these insects can help manage organic waste, including research into their ability to break down certain plastics. This is relevant to microplastics research because black soldier flies are being explored as a biological tool for processing plastic waste, though questions remain about whether plastic residues could transfer through the food chain.
A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health
This detailed review examines the potential health effects of microplastics and the chemical additives they contain, which can include plasticizers, flame retardants, and stabilizers. Researchers describe how humans are exposed to these hazardous chemicals through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact as microplastics break down in the environment. The study emphasizes that the combination of physical particle effects and chemical toxicity makes microplastics a uniquely complex health concern.
Photoaging of polystyrene-based microplastics amplifies inflammatory response in macrophages
Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics aged by sunlight exposure for just three hours triggered stronger inflammatory responses and DNA damage in immune cells than fresh microplastics, even at very low concentrations. The aging process changed the particles' surface properties, making them more biologically reactive. Since most microplastics in the real world have been weathered by sunlight, this study suggests their actual health impact may be greater than lab studies using pristine particles indicate.