Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of aging on the toxicity of polyethylene microplastics on the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana

Researchers compared the toxicity of new versus artificially aged polyethylene microplastics on an estuarine bivalve species. They found that aged microplastics, which better represent what is actually found in the environment, caused different and sometimes greater biological effects than pristine particles. The study emphasizes the importance of using environmentally realistic aged microplastics in toxicity testing rather than only new materials.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of nanoplastics on clam Ruditapes philippinarum at environmentally realistic concentrations: Toxicokinetics, toxicity, and gut microbiota

Researchers exposed clams to nanoplastics at concentrations found in real marine environments and tracked how the particles accumulated in their tissues over 14 days. The nanoplastics caused physical damage and significantly altered the clams' gut bacteria. This is concerning because clams are widely consumed seafood, meaning nanoplastic contamination could affect both marine ecosystems and human food sources.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and cellular responses of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum exposed to different shapes and sizes of polyethylene terephthalate microplastics

This study exposed Manila clams to PET microplastics of different shapes (fragments and fibers) and sizes for 28 days, finding that fibrous microplastics caused greater oxidative stress and lysosomal membrane destabilization than fragments and that smaller particles produced stronger physiological responses.

2025 Ecotoxicology
Article Tier 2

Seawater Accelerated the Aging of Polystyrene and Enhanced Its Toxic Effects on Caenorhabditis elegans

Researchers simulated the aging of polystyrene microplastics in seawater and found that the marine environment accelerated surface erosion, releasing smaller aged particles. When tested on the nematode C. elegans, the aged polystyrene caused greater reductions in movement, vitality, and reproduction compared to virgin particles, driven by increased oxidative stress. The findings suggest that microplastics become more toxic as they weather in ocean conditions.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 10 citations
Article Tier 2

New Insights into the Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aging Microplastics

This study showed that UV-aged polypropylene microplastics are significantly more toxic than fresh ones, absorbing more chemicals and generating more harmful reactive oxygen species in seawater. The aged particles caused greater damage to cell membranes in mussels compared to pristine plastics. Since most microplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, real-world exposure risks may be higher than laboratory studies using new plastics suggest.

2024 Toxics 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of aged and unaged conventional or biodegradable mulching films microplastics to the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana

This study assessed whether aging changes the toxicity of microplastics from conventional and biodegradable mulching films across soil and aquatic environments, testing both fresh and UV-aged particles on a range of organisms. Aging altered toxicity profiles of both conventional and biodegradable microplastics, with effects varying by polymer type and test species.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aged in various environmental media exhibited strong sorption to heavy metals in seawater

Researchers aged six types of microplastics — including polyamide and PET — in different environments and then measured their adsorption of heavy metals in seawater, finding that aging consistently increased metal sorption capacity and that environmental medium during aging strongly influenced the degree of surface modification.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Degradation of Polyethylene Particles on Their Cytotoxicity

Researchers found that degradation of polyethylene particles altered their cytotoxicity, with weathered and fragmented PE showing different toxic effects on cells compared to pristine particles, suggesting environmental aging changes microplastic health risks.

2023 Microplastics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

The physiological response of the clam Ruditapes philippinarum and scallop Chlamys farreri to varied concentrations of microplastics exposure

Researchers exposed two types of shellfish (clams and scallops) to polyethylene and PET microplastics and found that both species accumulated the particles in their digestive glands and gills. The exposure caused oxidative stress, disrupted energy and fat metabolism, and damaged tissue, with PET generally being more toxic than polyethylene. Since these are commonly eaten shellfish, the findings raise concerns about microplastic contamination affecting the safety of seafood for human consumers.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Seeping plastics: Potentially harmful molecular fragments leaching out from microplastics during accelerated ageing in seawater

Researchers conducted accelerated aging experiments on four common plastic types in seawater to study the chemical compounds they release as they degrade. The study found that aging microplastics leach potentially harmful molecular fragments into the surrounding water, demonstrating that microplastics are not inert pollutants but chemically reactive materials that release degradation byproducts over time.

2022 Water Research 75 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo oxidative stress responses of the freshwater basket clam Corbicula javanicus to microplastic fibres and particles

Researchers found that microplastic exposure caused oxidative stress in freshwater basket clams, with polyester fibers increasing antioxidant enzyme activity while polyethylene fragments decreased it, indicating different toxicological impacts depending on plastic type.

2022 Chemosphere 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of polyethylene microplastics in seawater: Insights into the environmental degradation of polymers

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics degrade in artificial seawater and found that exposure led to surface oxidation, cracking, and fragmentation over time. The study suggests that environmental degradation of microplastics in marine settings may generate progressively smaller particles, including nanoplastics, while also releasing chemical additives into surrounding waters.

2018 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of food and temperature on the chronic toxicity of polyethylene terephthalate microplastic fragments in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum

Researchers studied the combined effects of food availability and temperature on the toxicity of PET microplastic fragments in Manila clams over 21 days. They found that the presence of food actually increased mortality in clams exposed to microplastics, likely because the clams ingested more plastic particles while feeding. The findings suggest that real-world conditions where food and microplastics coexist may pose greater risks to shellfish than laboratory studies with plastic exposure alone.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of aged and unaged conventional or biodegradable mulching films microplastics to the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana

This study tested the toxicity of microplastics derived from aged and unaged conventional and biodegradable mulching films on the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana, finding that both types caused harm to this ecologically important species. Aged microplastics showed different toxicity profiles compared to fresh particles.

2024 Open MIND
Article Tier 2

Microplastics mixture exposure at environmentally relevant conditions induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in the wedge clam Donax trunculus

Wedge clams (Donax trunculus) exposed to an environmentally relevant microplastic mixture showed elevated oxidative stress markers and neurotoxicity indicators (inhibited acetylcholinesterase), demonstrating that real-world mixed microplastic exposure causes biochemical harm in marine bivalves.

2020 Chemosphere 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviors and biochemical responses of macroinvertebrate Corbicula fluminea to polystyrene microplastics

Researchers exposed Asian clams to microplastic solutions for 42 days and observed behavioral and biochemical responses. The study found that high concentrations of microplastics inhibited normal clam behaviors like siphoning and breathing, induced oxidative stress, disrupted neurotransmission, and caused gill tissue damage.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the hazards induced by microplastics in different environmental conditions

Researchers subjected four common plastic types to accelerated aging under UV light, enzyme exposure, and seawater conditions to understand how environmental stress transforms microplastics. They found that seawater conditions caused the greatest size reduction, with polyethylene shrinking by over 87%, along with significant chemical changes including the formation of oxygen-containing functional groups. The study suggests that environmentally weathered microplastics, particularly polyethylene exposed to ocean conditions, may pose greater potential health hazards than pristine particles.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of metals on aged microplastics in intensive mariculture areas: Aggravating the potential ecological risks to marine organisms

Researchers used passive samplers in a subtropical mariculture area in China to measure how aged microplastics adsorb metals like iron, manganese, copper, and lead from seawater. They found that PVC microplastics had the highest metal adsorption capacity, and that aging increased the plastics' ability to accumulate metals on their surfaces. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in aquaculture zones may concentrate toxic metals and pose elevated ecological risks to marine organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion and toxic impacts of weathered polyethylene (wPE) microplastics and stress defensive responses in whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

Researchers exposed whiteleg shrimp to varying concentrations of environmentally weathered polyethylene microplastics to assess ingestion rates and toxic effects. The study found that weathered microplastics caused dose-dependent changes in growth and antioxidant enzyme activity, indicating that real-world weathered microplastics may be more harmful to commercially important shrimp species than pristine laboratory particles.

2022 Chemosphere 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging properties of polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics and their adsorption behavior of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) in aquatic environments

Researchers compared how polyethylene and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics age in the environment and how that aging affects their ability to absorb heavy metals like cadmium and chromium from water. They found that aging changed the surface chemistry of both plastic types, increasing their capacity to pick up these toxic metals. The findings matter because aged microplastics in the environment may concentrate and transport more pollutants than fresh plastic particles.

2024 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging Characteristics and Ecological Effects of Primary Microplastics in Cosmetic Products Under Different Aging Processes

Researchers examined how sunlight, seawater, and soil aging affect four cosmetic-grade primary microplastics, finding that sunlight and seawater exposure caused surface cracking, reduced particle sizes, and increased surface areas, with Topaz microplastics showing the most pronounced changes.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics effects in Scrobicularia plana

Researchers exposed clams to polystyrene microplastics for 14 days and found that the particles accumulated in tissues and were not fully eliminated even after a week of depuration in clean water. The microplastics caused measurable oxidative damage, DNA damage, and neurotoxic effects in the clams. The study demonstrates that even short-term microplastic exposure can cause lasting biological harm in marine bivalves.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 474 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of aging of microplastics on gene expression levels of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposures

Researchers compared the effects of aged versus non-aged polyethylene microplastics on the marine mussel Mytilus edulis using both in vitro and in vivo exposures at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that gene expression changes in xenobiotic defense, immune function, and cell cycle control differed depending on whether the plastic was aged and the type of exposure method used. These findings highlight that the environmental weathering state of microplastics is an important factor in determining their biological effects on marine organisms.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of aged and unaged conventional or biodegradable mulching films microplastics to the estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana

Researchers tested the toxicity of aged and unaged microplastics from both conventional and biodegradable mulch films on soil organisms under realistic agricultural exposure conditions. Aged mulch film microplastics were more toxic than virgin particles, and biodegradable alternatives were not inherently less harmful to soil biota.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)