Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics deposition on human lung airways: A review with computational benefits and challenges

This review examines how microplastics deposited in human lungs can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and reduced lung function. Because these tiny particles can reach deep into the lungs where oxygen enters the blood, they raise concerns about long-term respiratory disease and the possibility of spreading to other organs.

2024 Heliyon 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the Interaction Between Microplastics and Microorganisms Based on a Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis

A bibliometric and visualized analysis of research on microplastic-microorganism interactions identified rapid growth in this field and key themes including plastisphere formation, biodegradation potential, and microbial community changes driven by microplastic exposure.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

The emerging issue of microplastics in marine environment: A bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2020

This bibliometric analysis of marine microplastic research from 2004 to 2020 revealed rapid growth in publications, identified key research themes and collaborations, and highlighted emerging topics including microplastic impacts on marine organisms and human health.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Respiratory Toxicity of Microplastics: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Future Threats

This review examined the mechanisms by which inhaled airborne microplastics cause respiratory harm, including inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, and impaired mucociliary clearance. The authors also discuss emerging evidence linking microplastic inhalation to worsening asthma, COPD, and potentially lung cancer.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

How do humans recognize and face challenges of microplastic pollution in marine environments? A bibliometric analysis

Researchers performed a bibliometric analysis of 1,898 publications on marine microplastics, mapping research growth, collaboration networks, and thematic trends over time, and predicting that future research will increasingly focus on biological effects, human health impacts, and policy-relevant risk characterization.

2021 Environmental Pollution 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Breathing under siege: a narrative review on the potential biological mechanisms linking micro- and nanoplastic exposure to lung diseases

This narrative review examines how inhaled micro- and nanoplastics from indoor and outdoor air — including from synthetic textiles and face masks — can trigger lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis, and outlines proposed mechanisms linking plastic inhalation to respiratory disease.

2025 Journal of Breath Research
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on the Toxic Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics on the Environment: A Bibliometric Analysis of the 2014 to 2023 Period

This bibliometric analysis mapped out a decade of research on the toxic effects of micro and nanoplastics, identifying key trends and knowledge gaps from 2014 to 2023. The field has grown rapidly, with studies increasingly focusing on how these tiny particles affect human health through oxidative stress, inflammation, and gut disruption. The review highlights that while environmental contamination is well documented, understanding of direct human health impacts is still developing.

2024 Toxics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Mapping research frontiers in microplastics-induced oxidative stress: a bibliometric analysis (2010–2024)

This bibliometric analysis mapped research trends in microplastic-induced oxidative stress across nearly 2,000 studies published between 2010 and 2024. Researchers identified key themes including gut health impacts, nanoplastic toxicity, and the role of specific cellular stress pathways as the most active research frontiers. The study provides a roadmap of where the science is headed and suggests that antioxidant-based interventions may be a promising area for future work.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Bibliometric analysis of microplastics research: Advances and future directions (2020–2024)

This bibliometric study analyzed trends in microplastics research from 2020 to 2024, finding a rapid increase in publications with growing specialization in areas like ecotoxicology, detection methods, and pollution control. Key research hotspots include microplastic effects on human health, interactions with other pollutants, and removal technologies. The analysis reveals that while the field is maturing rapidly, significant gaps remain in understanding real-world health impacts and developing effective remediation strategies.

2024 Continental Shelf Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastic/nanoplastic research: a comprehensive Web of Science (WoS) data-driven bibliometric analysis

This bibliometric analysis maps the landscape of research on airborne microplastics and nanoplastics published between 2015 and 2021, finding rapid growth in the field driven largely by research funding. China, England, the USA, and European countries led in research output, while studies focused on how airborne microplastics travel, deposit in environments, and contaminate indoor spaces. The review highlights that understanding airborne microplastic exposure is critical for assessing human health risks from inhaling these particles.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Respiratory Toxicity of Microplastics: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Future Threats

This review summarized the respiratory toxicity of airborne microplastics, covering their sources, the routes by which they penetrate deep into lung tissue, and the range of clinical outcomes from chronic inflammation to potential malignancy. The authors warn that inhalation exposure represents an underappreciated and growing public health threat.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Investigating impact of physicochemical properties of microplastics on human health: A short bibliometric analysis and review

This review examined how the physical and chemical properties of microplastics influence their potential impacts on human health, noting that people are exposed through ingestion of contaminated food and water as well as inhalation of airborne particles. Researchers found that once ingested, microplastics can release hazardous chemicals in the digestive tract, while inhaled particles pose oxidative stress risks to the lungs. The study highlights that current air quality standards may not adequately account for suspended plastic particles.

2021 Chemosphere 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and human health: A scientometric analysis

Researchers conducted a scientometric analysis of the scientific literature on microplastics and human health, mapping research trends and publication patterns. The study reveals a rapidly growing body of evidence exploring how ubiquitous microplastic contamination may affect human health, while identifying gaps in current research that need further investigation.

2025 Research Society and Development 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Airborne microplastics: A narrative review of potential effects on the human respiratory system

This review consolidates research on airborne microplastics and their potential effects on the human respiratory system. Studies show that inhaled microplastics can deposit in the lungs, trigger inflammation, cause oxidative stress, and lead to cell damage and death. While human exposure evidence is still limited, animal and cell studies suggest that long-term inhalation of airborne microplastics could pose significant risks to lung health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Trends, Spatio‐Temporal Dynamics of Microplastics Research and Global Public Health: A Scientometric Study

This scientometric study analyzes trends in microplastic research and its connection to public health, finding a rapid increase in published studies over recent years. The analysis maps how the field has grown globally and identifies key research themes connecting microplastics to human health concerns. The increasing volume of research reflects growing scientific recognition that microplastics are a significant public health issue.

2025 Health Science Reports 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Bibliometrics and visualization analysis regarding research on the development of microplastics

Researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis of microplastic research published from 2009 to 2019 using visualization software. The study found that publications grew exponentially during this period, with research hotspots shifting from zooplankton ingestion and surface water surveys toward adsorption, biodegradation, and toxicity analysis, and predicts that constructed wetlands, biotechnology, and photocatalysis for microplastic removal will become emerging research areas.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Neurotoxicity of microplastics: a CiteSpace-based review and emerging trends study

This bibliometric review mapped the emerging research landscape of microplastic neurotoxicity using CiteSpace visualization, identifying key trends including oxidative stress pathways, blood-brain barrier disruption, and behavioral changes as major research hotspots.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Scientometric Analysis and Visualization of Research on the Effects of Microplastics on Marine Life

Researchers conducted a scientometric analysis and visualization of the global research literature on the effects of microplastics on marine life, mapping publication trends, key contributing institutions, and thematic clusters in the field. The study characterized the growth and geographic distribution of research output to identify leading contributors and emerging topics in microplastic-marine organism interaction studies.

2024 Journal of Scientometric Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne micro- and nanoplastics: emerging causes of respiratory diseases

This review examines growing evidence that tiny airborne plastic particles can enter the lungs and trigger or worsen respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung inflammation. The smallest nanoplastics are especially concerning because they can penetrate deep into lung tissue and even enter the bloodstream, yet research on airborne plastic health effects significantly lags behind studies on waterborne exposure.

2024 Particle and Fibre Toxicology 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Global research hotspots and trends on microplastics: a bibliometric analysis

A bibliometric analysis of microplastics publications from 1990 to 2022 found a 19-fold increase in publications and 35-fold increase in citations since 2015, with research clustering around distribution, toxicity, analytical methods, and adsorption of co-pollutants.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 26 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics inhalation and their effects on human health: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how breathing in microplastics affects human health. It finds that airborne microplastics can reach the lungs and may trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and respiratory issues, with workers in textile and plastic industries facing the highest exposure levels.

2022 European Journal of Public Health 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Research tendency of microplastics and nanoplastics based on bibliometric analysis and perspective of the influence of human health

This review uses bibliometric analysis of over 7,000 scientific publications from 2004 to 2021 to map global research trends in microplastics and nanoplastics, identifying key topics, leading research nations, and emerging areas of concern related to human health impacts.

2022 Environmental Research Communications 5 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

The Effect of Nanoplastics and Microplastics on Lung Morphology and Physiology: a Systematic Review

This systematic review examines how inhaled microplastics and nanoplastics affect lung structure and function. The research found that indoor microplastic concentrations are often higher than outdoor levels due to household materials shedding fibers, and that inhaled particles can accumulate in different parts of the lungs. These findings suggest that breathing in plastic particles at home and work could contribute to respiratory health problems over time.

2024 The Medical and Ecological Problems 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Scientometric analysis and scientific trends on microplastics research

Researchers performed a scientometric analysis of microplastics research using 2,872 publications from the Web of Science database spanning 2004 to 2020. The bibliometric analysis mapped contributing countries, institutions, key authors, trending keywords, and future research directions in the field. The study found that microplastics research has grown rapidly, with increasing attention to environmental pollution across various ecosystems.

2022 Chemosphere 73 citations