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20 resultsShowing papers similar to A Preliminary Study on the “Hitchhiking” of Radionuclides on Microplastics: A New Threat to the Marine Environment from Compound Pollution
ClearMarine microplastics fuel long-range transport of radioactive nuclides: A review
This review examines how marine microplastics adsorb radioactive nuclides and transport them over long distances, discussing the implications of plastic-facilitated radionuclide dispersal for ocean monitoring and the compounding environmental risks from co-occurring plastic and nuclear contamination.
Microplastics as vectors of radioiodine in the marine environment: A study on sorption and interaction mechanism
Researchers investigated microplastics as potential vectors of radioiodine in the marine environment, finding that different polymer types exhibited varying sorption capacities for radioiodine, revealing a previously unstudied pathway for radionuclide transport.
The interaction of two emerging pollutants, radionuclides and microplastics: In-depth thermodynamic studies in water, seawater, and wastewater
Laboratory experiments measured how polyurethane and polylactic acid microplastics adsorb radioactive uranium and americium from water under conditions mimicking seawater and wastewater. The results show that microplastics can accumulate radionuclides from contaminated water environments, raising the possibility that plastic particles could act as unexpected carriers of radioactive contamination through aquatic food webs.
Microplastic-radionuclide complexes: Diffusion mechanisms and multidimensional threats
This review examined how microplastics can bind with radioactive materials in the ocean, creating microplastic-radionuclide complexes that spread contamination across regions. Researchers found that microplastics facilitate the long-distance transport of radionuclides, while the radiation can intensify the toxic effects of the plastic particles on marine organisms. The combined threat is particularly relevant given ongoing concerns about radioactive wastewater discharge into marine environments.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics as radionuclide (U-232) carriers: Surface alteration matters the most
Researchers investigated how surface alteration of PET microplastics affects their ability to carry radioactive uranium-232. The study found that biofilm formation on PET surfaces dramatically increased radionuclide adsorption efficiency compared to pristine plastic, suggesting that environmentally weathered microplastics may play a more significant role in transporting radioactive contaminants through aquatic systems.
Unfolding the interaction of radioactive Cs and Sr with polyethylene-derived microplastics in marine environment
Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics in the marine environment interact with radioactive cesium and strontium. They found that as microplastics age in seawater and develop biofilms, their ability to absorb these radioactive elements increases significantly. The study provides evidence that microplastics could act as previously unrecognized carriers of radioactive contamination in ocean environments.
Unfolding the interaction of radioactive Cs and Sr with polyethylene-derived microplastics in marine environment
A mesocosm study examined how radioactive cesium and strontium interact with pristine, radiation-exposed, and marine-weathered polyethylene microplastics, finding that environmental aging—through biofilm formation and surface roughening—significantly increased the plastic particles' capacity to sorb radioactive contaminants.
Microplastics and disposable face masks as “Trojan Horse” for radionuclides pollution in water bodies – A review with emphasis on the involved interactions
Researchers reviewed how microplastics and disposable face masks can adsorb radioactive particles (radionuclides like cesium-137 and uranium) and carry them through water environments, potentially concentrating radiation in the food chain. Key factors affecting this process include plastic type, particle size, and water chemistry, with some polymers showing adsorption partition coefficients as high as 2670 L/kg.
Americium Sorption by Microplastics in Aqueous Solutions
Researchers investigated americium sorption by polyamide and polyethylene microplastics in both deionized water and seawater, tracing interactions with Am-241 isotope and examining the effects of pH and solution composition on sorption efficiency over time. The study found that microplastic type and aqueous matrix composition significantly influenced radionuclide uptake, with implications for the transport of radioactive contaminants in marine environments.
Initial data on adsorption of Cs and Sr to the surfaces of microplastics with biofilm
Researchers measured adsorption of radiocesium and radiostrontium onto weathered microplastics deployed in freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments, finding that distribution coefficients were approximately two to three orders of magnitude lower than for sediment reference values. Despite the lower adsorption, the buoyancy and mobility of plastics suggest they may still function as a significant radionuclide reservoir in aquatic systems.
PET plastics as a Trojan horse for radionuclides
Researchers discovered that PET plastic bottles collected near a phosphate fertilizer plant had accumulated natural and artificial radionuclides, demonstrating that littered plastics can act as carriers for radioactive contaminants and pose potential health risks.
The Interaction of Two Emerging Pollutants, Radionuclides and Microplastics: In-Depth Thermodynamic Studies in Water, Seawater, and Wastewater
This study examined how two radioactive isotopes — uranium-232 and americium-241 — interact with polyurethane and polylactic acid microplastics in freshwater, seawater, and wastewater under varying pH and temperature conditions. Microplastics were found to adsorb both radionuclides, with temperature and pH strongly influencing the binding, though natural water chemistry reduced adsorption efficiency significantly. The findings raise concern that microplastics in nuclear-adjacent or contaminated water bodies could act as carriers, concentrating and potentially transporting radioactive pollutants through aquatic systems.
Biofilm-enhanced adsorption of strong and weak cations onto different microplastic sample types: Use of spectroscopy, microscopy and radiotracer methods
Researchers used radiotracer, spectroscopy, and microscopy methods to show that biofilm-coated environmental plastics adsorb radioactive cesium and strontium — radionuclides associated with nuclear releases — though at rates much lower than natural sediments, confirming that plastics act as a minor but measurable sink for environmental radioactivity.
Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation
This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.
An effective method to assess the sorption dynamics of PCB radiotracers onto plastic and sediment microparticles
Scientists developed a radiotracer method using PCB isotopes to precisely measure how quickly toxic chemicals sorb onto microplastics and sediment particles in seawater. Understanding sorption-desorption rates is critical for predicting how much toxic chemical exposure marine organisms receive from microplastic ingestion.
Surface adsorption of metallic species onto microplastics with long-term exposure to the natural marine environment
Researchers deployed pre-production polyethylene pellets in the ocean following an accidental spill and recovered them after extended natural exposure, finding that the pellets accumulated a diverse range of metals from seawater, with concentrations increasing over time and varying by metal based on surface chemistry.
Microplastics as a Serious Challenge in Marine Environment
This review summarizes how microplastics accumulate in marine environments, acting as carriers for other toxic chemicals and posing health risks to marine organisms and the humans who eat them. The paper highlights the dual threat of microplastics as both physical contaminants and vectors for co-pollutants.
The chemical behaviors of microplastics in marine environment: A review
This review summarized interactions between microplastics and organic pollutants and metals in the marine environment, covering sorption behavior across polymer types, the role of degradation in altering sorption capacity, and global monitoring data on pollutant concentrations on marine plastics. The authors conclude that microplastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions all strongly influence chemical accumulation on plastic surfaces.
Uranium accumulation in environmentally relevant microplastics and agricultural soil at acidic and circumneutral pH
Researchers examined how uranium interacts with high-density polyethylene microplastics and agricultural soil at different pH levels. The study found that while soil rapidly removed most aqueous uranium, microplastics accumulated measurable amounts of uranium over time, raising concerns about microplastics acting as carriers for radioactive contaminants in the environment.
A new approach to extracting biofilm from environmental plastics using ultrasound-assisted syringe treatment for isotopic analyses
Researchers developed an ultrasound-assisted syringe extraction method for recovering biofilms from environmental plastic debris, enabling stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and radiocesium quantification, and found that river-mouth plastisphere biofilms in Japan carried up to 820 Bq/kg of radiocesium, demonstrating that plastic-associated biofilms can serve as vectors for radionuclide transport in coastal environments.