Papers

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Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on the availability of antibiotics in soils

Researchers tested how three common types of microplastics affect the availability of antibiotics in different soil types. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the amount of antibiotics accessible in soil by providing extra binding sites and altering soil chemistry. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could change how antibiotics move through the environment.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Do microplastics affect sulfamethoxazole sorption in soil? Experiments on polymers, ionic strength and fulvic acid

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the sorption of sulfamethoxazole antibiotic in soil, finding that polystyrene microplastics increased antibiotic adsorption rates but reduced equilibrium adsorption capacity, with ionic strength and fulvic acid further modifying the interaction in complex soil environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

A contrasting alteration of sulfamethoxazole bioaccessibility in two different soils amended with polyethylene microplastic: In-situ measurement using diffusive gradients in thin films

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics altered the bioaccessibility of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole differently in two soil types, increasing it in sandy soil but decreasing it in clay soil, demonstrating that soil composition critically mediates microplastic-antibiotic interactions.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastic and sulfanilamide co-exposure on soil microbiota

This study investigated what happens when microplastics and the antibiotic sulfanilamide are present together in soil, finding that the combination significantly altered soil microbial communities compared to either pollutant alone. Both conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interacted with the antibiotic to change bacterial diversity and soil chemistry. The results show that microplastics and antibiotics in agricultural soil can have compounding effects on soil health, potentially affecting the crops grown in it.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of co-loading of polyethylene microplastics and ciprofloxacin on the antibiotic degradation efficiency and microbial community structure in soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin together affect soil microbial communities and antibiotic degradation. The study found that co-loading of microplastics with antibiotics altered microbial community structure and affected the rate of antibiotic degradation in soil, suggesting microplastic contamination may influence how soils process pharmaceutical pollutants.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged polyethylene microplastics modulate herbicide and antibiotic bioavailability and plant responses: A case study with glyphosate and tetracycline

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles commonly found in farm soil can stick to plant roots and change how plants absorb harmful chemicals like pesticides and antibiotics. The plastic pieces made plants more stressed and damaged, reducing important nutrients like chlorophyll by 30%. This matters because it could affect the safety and quality of the food we eat, since these plastic particles are becoming more common in agricultural areas where our crops are grown.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Removal of sulfamethoxazole using Fe-Mn biochar filtration columns: Influence of co-existing polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect the removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole using iron-manganese modified biochar filtration columns. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly reduced antibiotic retention due to competitive sorption, with the effect varying depending on water pH. The study highlights that co-occurring microplastics in wastewater can interfere with contaminant removal systems, potentially allowing more antibiotics to pass through treatment processes.

2024 Journal of Cleaner Production 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact on sulfadiazine bio-accessibility in soils through organic diffusive gradients in thin films (o-DGT): Differentiation based on microplastic polymers, aging, and soil properties

Microplastics of different polymer types and aging states were shown to alter the bio-accessibility of the antibiotic sulfadiazine in agricultural soils, measured using organic diffusive gradient thin-film devices that mimic biological uptake.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Combined Stress of Polyethylene and Sulfamethazine on Seed Germination, Seedling Growth, and Physiological Characteristics of Soybean].

A pot experiment found that low concentrations of polyethylene (PE) microplastics partially promoted soybean seed germination and growth, while high concentrations inhibited plant development, and that the antibiotic sulfamethazine caused dose-dependent inhibition that was partially alleviated by low-level PE co-exposure. These combined effects reveal complex interactions between microplastic and pharmaceutical contaminants in agricultural soils that affect crop productivity.

2023 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the impacts of microplastics on agricultural soil physical, chemical properties, and toxic metal availability: An emerging concern for sustainable agriculture

This study tested how five common types of microplastics affect soil properties and heavy metal availability in agricultural soil over 90 days. Microplastics changed soil structure, nutrient levels, and water-holding capacity, and actually reduced the availability of toxic heavy metals at higher plastic concentrations -- highlighting the complex ways plastic pollution is altering the farmland that produces our food.

2025 PLoS ONE 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhance in mobility of oxytetracycline in a sandy loamy soil caused by the presence of microplastics

Researchers used batch and column experiments to study how the presence of polyamide (PA) microplastics affects the sorption and transport of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) in sandy loamy soil. They found that PA microplastics increased soil pH and reduced overall OTC sorption, leading to enhanced mobility of the antibiotic through the soil column, raising concerns about accelerated antibiotic transport to groundwater in microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils.

2020 Environmental Pollution 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics alleviate the effects of sulfamethazine on soil microbial communities at different CO2 concentrations

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics alleviated the inhibitory effects of the antibiotic sulfamethazine on soil microbial communities under elevated CO2 conditions, suggesting that microplastics can modify antibiotic toxicity to soil microbes under future climate scenarios.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Ciprofloxacin Adsorption Dynamics and Mechanisms in Soil

Researchers investigated how microplastics affect the adsorption dynamics and mechanisms of ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic) in soil, finding that microplastics competed with soil particles for antibiotic binding and altered the overall fate and mobility of ciprofloxacin in the soil environment.

2025 Toxics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged polyamide microplastics enhance the adsorption of trimethoprim in soil environments

This study found that aged polyamide microplastics in soil significantly enhanced the adsorption of the antibiotic trimethoprim — more than 20 times greater than soil alone — through both surface sorption and pH alteration effects. This "enrichment effect" means that microplastics in agricultural soil can concentrate antibiotics, potentially increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance development and reducing the effectiveness of soil as a natural buffer against pharmaceutical contamination.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of polystyrene microplastics with combined contamination of norfloxacin and sulfadiazine on Chrysanthemum coronarium L.

Researchers examined the single and combined effects of polystyrene microplastics, norfloxacin, and sulfadiazine on the medicinal food crop Chrysanthemum coronarium. The study found that combined exposure altered nutrient element accumulation and caused ultrastructural damage to plant cells, suggesting that the co-occurrence of microplastics and antibiotics in soil may pose compounded threats to crop safety.

2022 Environmental Pollution 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastics reduces the bioaccumulation of sulfamethoxazole but enhances its effects on gut microbiota and the antibiotic resistome of mice

Researchers used a mouse model to study how microplastics affect the bioaccumulation and health impacts of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. While microplastics reduced the overall tissue accumulation of the antibiotic, they enhanced its disruptive effects on gut microbiota and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The findings suggest that microplastics may alter how pharmaceuticals interact with the body in ways that could promote antimicrobial resistance.

2022 Chemosphere 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics and aged microplastics on the toxicity of emerging contaminants in the soil

Researchers assessed how polypropylene (PP) microplastics and UV-aged PP microplastics modify the toxicity of eight emerging organic contaminants -- including diclofenac, ciprofloxacin, and diuron -- on soil organism Enchytraeus crypticus, finding that while PP alone had no effect at 5 mg/kg, its presence significantly amplified the toxicity of all tested organic pollutants.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics impacts the toxicity of antibiotics on Pinellia ternata: An exploration of their effects on photosynthesis, oxidative stress homeostasis, secondary metabolism, the AsA-GSH cycle, and metabolomics

This study found that polyethylene microplastics changed how the medicinal plant Pinellia ternata responds to antibiotic contamination in soil. At low concentrations, microplastics slightly reduced the toxicity of the antibiotic, but at higher levels they worsened the damage to plant photosynthesis, antioxidant systems, and metabolic pathways. The findings show that microplastics can alter how other pollutants affect crop plants, making the real-world impacts of soil contamination harder to predict.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

pH-Dependent Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on Ciprofloxacin Toxicity and Uptake by Lolium perenne L.

This study found that pH strongly influences the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin on ryegrass, with neutral and alkaline conditions increasing both MP surface charge and antibiotic uptake by plants, raising concerns for agricultural soils.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Joint effects of microplastics and ciprofloxacin on their toxicity and fates in wheat: A hydroponic study

Researchers found that microplastics and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin jointly affected wheat growth in hydroponic conditions, with microplastics altering ciprofloxacin uptake and toxicity while the antibiotic influenced microplastic accumulation in plant tissues.

2022 Chemosphere 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged polyethylene microplastics modulate herbicide and antibiotic bioavailability and plant responses: a case study with glyphosate and tetracycline

Researchers generated experimental data on how aged polyethylene microplastics affect the behavior of the herbicide glyphosate and the antibiotic tetracycline in hydroponic plant growth systems. The dataset includes measurements of pollutant sorption, plant photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzyme activity in rapeseed plants exposed to various combinations of microplastics and chemicals. The study suggests that microplastics can modulate how other environmental contaminants interact with plants.

2026 RepOD
Article Tier 2

Does Microplastic Contamination in Agricultural Soils Decrease the Efficiency of Herbicides for Weed Control?

Researchers investigated how microplastic contamination in agricultural soils affects herbicide performance. They found that microplastics absorb herbicides onto their surfaces, reducing the chemicals' availability for weed control and slowing their degradation by inhibiting soil microbial activity. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in farmland may undermine herbicide efficacy while increasing the persistence of these chemicals in the environment.

2024 Microplastics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated Effects of Polyamide Microplastics and Three Abundant Antimicrobials and Reclaimed Water On The Growth of Lettuce and Soil Bacterial Communities

Researchers investigated the combined effects of polyamide microplastics and three common antimicrobials -- sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and triclosan -- alongside reclaimed water irrigation on lettuce growth and soil bacterial community composition. The study examined how simultaneous exposure to microplastics and pharmaceutical contaminants alters soil microbial ecology in agricultural settings.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance

Researchers tested six different types of microplastics in soil and found that they altered key soil properties including water-holding capacity, bulk density, and microbial activity. These changes in soil structure had cascading effects on plant growth, with some microplastic types reducing above-ground biomass. The study demonstrates that microplastics can fundamentally change how soil functions, with consequences for plant health and ecosystem stability.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 1910 citations