Papers

61,005 results
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Review Tier 2

Microplastics and Human Health: A Comprehensive Review on Exposure Pathways, Toxicity, and Emerging Risks

This comprehensive review examines microplastic exposure pathways in humans, methods of detection, and the potential toxic effects on various biological systems. The study highlights growing evidence that microplastics can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact, and may affect multiple organ systems, though significant uncertainties remain about long-term health outcomes.

2026 Microplastics
Review Tier 2

Environmental exposure to microplastics: a scoping review on human health effects

This scoping review systematically examined published evidence on the health effects of microplastic exposure in humans. It found that human exposure is certain and widespread, but that data on dose-response relationships and specific health outcomes are still limited — highlighting an urgent need for rigorous human health studies.

2020 ISEE Conference Abstracts
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Impact of Microplastic Exposure on Human Health: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Clinical Outcomes

This systematic review found that microplastics have been detected in human blood, placental tissue, and gastrointestinal samples, with proposed health mechanisms including oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, endocrine disruption, and gut microbiome alterations. While direct clinical evidence remains limited, the accumulating laboratory and observational data point to microplastics as a plausible contributor to multiple disease pathways.

2025 Cureus
Article Tier 2

The potential effects of microplastics on human health: What is known and what is unknown

This review summarizes what is currently known about how microplastics might affect human health, noting that while contamination is widespread in food, water, and air, direct evidence of harm in humans is still limited. Studies in animals and cell cultures suggest microplastics could trigger immune responses, cause inflammation, and affect reproduction and development. The authors call for more rigorous clinical studies to determine whether the levels of microplastics that people actually encounter pose real health risks.

2021 AMBIO 419 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Effects of Microplastics on Human Physiology: Mechanisms of Toxicity and Health Risks

This systematic review summarizes research on how microplastics affect human body systems, covering studies from 2000 to 2025. The evidence shows that microplastics have been found in blood, placenta, and reproductive tissues, and can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses. While more research is needed, the findings suggest microplastics may contribute to chronic health conditions through multiple biological pathways.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Approach to an answer to “How dangerous microplastics are to the human body”: A systematic review of the quantification of MPs and simultaneously exposed chemicals

This review found that despite extensive studies on microplastic abundance in the environment, their actual health risks to humans remain unknown due to the lack of clinical studies and standardized identification methods. The authors argue that risk assessment must account for chemicals migrating from plastic products alongside the microplastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 20 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics in humans: systematic review of in vivo evidence

This review of existing research found that tiny plastic particles (called microplastics and nanoplastics) build up in different parts of the human body and may cause inflammation and organ problems. However, the studies had different methods and limitations, so scientists can't yet prove these plastics directly cause health issues. Better long-term studies are needed to understand if microplastics - which come from things like plastic bottles and food packaging - truly harm human health.

2026 Environmental Health
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Public Health

This public health paper reviewed the current state of knowledge on microplastics as an emerging health concern, covering exposure pathways, body burden, and potential disease associations. It concludes that while evidence is growing, definitive health impact data from human studies remains limited.

2024 Exon Publications eBooks
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Systemic Accumulation and Distribution of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Human Tissues and Their Impact on Health: A Systematic Review

This systematic review synthesizes human evidence on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in body tissues and fluids, including blood, lungs, placenta, breast milk, and liver. The research confirms that plastic particles can cross biological barriers and accumulate in multiple organ systems. While the long-term health effects are still being studied, the widespread presence of plastics inside the human body raises significant health concerns.

2026 Open Science Framework
Systematic Review Tier 1

Harmful Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Human Body Systems: A Systematic Review

A new review of 30 studies found that tiny plastic particles called microplastics are now widespread in human bodies, showing up in blood, lungs, and other organs. Higher levels of these plastic particles were linked to more severe disease in the heart, lungs, digestive system, and reproductive organs. This research suggests that the plastic pollution around us may be harming our health, though more studies are needed to prove these plastics directly cause disease.

2026 Diseases
Article Tier 2

Possible effects of microplastics on human health

This book chapter reviews possible effects of microplastics on human health, drawing on research conducted primarily in marine and freshwater environments. It discusses how microplastics enter the human body through water, food, and air, and calls for more research to close critical knowledge gaps about long-term health consequences.

2020 IWA Publishing eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Human Health: A Comprehensive Review

This comprehensive review examines how microplastics enter the human body through food, water, and air, and what health effects they may cause. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can accumulate in the body and may contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut bacteria. The study suggests that more research is needed to fully understand the long-term health implications of ongoing human exposure to microplastics.

2024 Journal of Preventive Diagnostic and Treatment Strategies in Medicine 8 citations
Review Tier 2

Systematic Literature Review: The Presence of Microplastics in the Body and their Impact on Human Health

This systematic review examined evidence on where microplastics accumulate in the human body and what health effects they may cause. Researchers found that microplastics have been detected in various human tissues and can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Evidence indicates that microplastics may trigger oxidative stress and inflammation, with potential effects on the digestive, respiratory, reproductive, endocrine, and nervous systems.

2025 Journal of Ecohumanism 2 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

The current status of studies of human exposure assessment of microplastics and their health effects: a rapid systematic review

This rapid systematic review summarizes what is known about human exposure to microplastics and potential health effects based on studies published from 2000 to 2019. The researchers found that there is no standardized method for measuring microplastic exposure in humans, making it difficult to compare studies or draw firm conclusions. Despite the gaps, the available evidence suggests that people are regularly exposed to microplastics through food, water, and air, and more research is urgently needed on health effects.

2021 Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology 38 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics And Nanoplastics: Environmental Sources, Human Exposure Pathways, And Potential Health Impacts

This systematic review maps out the many ways microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body, including through food, water, air, and everyday products. The researchers found these tiny particles are now present in nearly every environment, from oceans to our homes. The review highlights growing concerns about what this constant low-level exposure might mean for our long-term health.

2024 Revista Electronica de Veterinaria
Review Tier 2

Environmental exposure to microplastics: a scoping review on potential human health effects and knowledge gaps

This scoping review searched multiple academic databases to synthesize evidence on potential human health effects of microplastic exposure. The authors found that while microplastics are omnipresent in human environments, direct evidence of health harm in humans remains limited, with significant knowledge gaps in long-term exposure effects and dose-response relationships.

2020 BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

From Environment to Body: Microplastics' Sources, Pathways, and Health Repercussions

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of how microplastics enter the human body through food, water, air, and skin contact. Researchers found evidence that these particles may cause physical damage, chemical toxicity, inflammation, and oxidative stress in biological systems. The study highlights significant gaps in understanding the long-term health implications of chronic microplastic exposure in humans.

2024 Journal of Education Health and Sport 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on human health: exposure mechanisms and potential health implications

This review examines how microplastics enter the human body through food, drinking water, and inhaled air, and summarizes what is known about their potential health effects. Researchers found that microplastics have been detected in human stool samples, blood, and lung tissue, and may carry harmful chemicals and pathogens. The study highlights that while evidence of direct health impacts is still emerging, the widespread presence of microplastics in everyday exposure pathways warrants serious attention.

2024 Quality in Sport 7 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Impact of Microplastics on Global Public Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies to assess how microplastics affect human health. It finds that people are widely exposed through contaminated food, water, and air, and that animal studies link microplastics to oxidative stress, immune disruption, and hormone interference. However, direct human health effects still need more long-term research to confirm.

2025 Preprints.org
Review Tier 2

Plastics, microplastics, and human contamination: A literature review

This literature review synthesizes research on human contamination by plastics and microplastics, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes and summarizing documented health effects across organ systems.

2024 Seven Editora eBooks
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in humans: Current evidence of presence and their role in organ toxicity

This comprehensive review examined how microplastics enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption, and maternal-fetal transfer, summarizing documented evidence of MP presence and toxic effects across multiple organs.

2025 International Journal of Biology Sciences
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review on the Impact of Micro-Nanoplastics Exposure on Human Health and Diseases

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how micro and nanoplastic exposure affects human health and may contribute to disease. The evidence suggests that these tiny particles can enter the body through food, water, air, and even cosmetics, potentially causing inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions to the immune and reproductive systems.

2022 Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Possible effects of microplastics on human health

This book chapter reviews the possible effects of microplastics on human health, noting that while microplastics have been found in drinking water and food, the health implications remain uncertain. It emphasizes the need for more research on human exposure and potential biological effects.

2019 IWA Publishing eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Health impacts and detection challenges of human exposure to microplastics

This review examined the health impacts of human exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics through ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption. Researchers found that these tiny particles pose significant health risks due to their ability to carry toxic contaminants and interact with biological tissues. The study also highlights major challenges in accurately detecting and measuring microplastic exposure in humans, which limits our understanding of the full scope of health effects.

2025 Cancer Plus 4 citations