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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Physicochemical transformation and toxic potential of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fragments exposed to natural daylight
ClearAccelerated photoaging of microplastic - polyethylene terephthalate: physical, chemical, morphological properties and pesticide adsorption
Researchers subjected polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics to accelerated photoaging under simulated sunlight, characterizing changes in surface chemistry, crystallinity, and mechanical properties over time. Photoaging increased surface oxidation, reduced molecular weight, and enhanced the release of plastic additives, suggesting aged PET microplastics present greater chemical hazard than pristine particles.
Photo-induced degradation of single-use polyethylene terephthalate microplastics under laboratory and outdoor environmental conditions
Researchers tested how sunlight, water, and physical wear work together to break down PET microplastics, the type commonly found in plastic bottles and food packaging. Over 60 days, combined UV light and water exposure caused significant chemical degradation of the plastic surfaces. This matters because as microplastics break down in the environment, they release smaller fragments and potentially harmful chemicals that are easier for organisms to absorb.
Fragmentation of polypropylene into microplastics promoted by photo-aging; release of metals, toxicity and inhibition of biodegradability
This study showed that when polypropylene plastic ages in sunlight, it fragments into microplastics much faster and releases metal contaminants that were originally added during manufacturing. The resulting particles and chemical leachates were toxic to aquatic organisms and resistant to biodegradation, meaning aged plastics in the environment are more hazardous than fresh ones.
UV weathering alters toxicity and chemical composition of consumer plastic leachates
Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the toxicity and chemical makeup of leachates from eight types of consumer plastic products. They found that UV exposure increased cytotoxicity up to 13-fold, particularly for polyethylene leachates, and enhanced reactive toxicity by up to 82%. The increased toxicity was primarily linked to the release and transformation of organic chemicals rather than the microplastic particles themselves, highlighting UV weathering as a critical driver of plastic pollution hazards.
Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.
Insights into the Photoaging Behavior of Microplastics: Environmental Fate and Ecological Risk
This review examines how sunlight ages microplastics in the environment, breaking them into smaller pieces and changing their surface chemistry in ways that make them more toxic and more likely to carry other pollutants. Sun-aged microplastics release dissolved organic matter that can harm aquatic life, and their roughened surfaces attract more bacteria and chemical contaminants. Since most microplastics in nature have been exposed to sunlight, their real-world health risks may be higher than studies using fresh lab plastics suggest.
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.
Photodegradation of PET plastics produces persistent compounds that accumulate in sediments
Researchers investigated the photodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate plastics and found that UV-driven breakdown produces persistent low-molecular-weight compounds that accumulate in sediments, raising concerns about the long-term chemical legacy of PET waste in aquatic environments.
Impact of weathered and virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) micro- and nanoplastics on growth dynamics and the production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of microalgae
Researchers compared how fresh and sun-weathered PET micro and nanoplastics affect microalgae growth and the sticky substances (EPS) algae produce in response to stress. Weathered plastics triggered more EPS production and had greater effects on algae than fresh plastics did. Since algae form the base of aquatic food chains and most ocean microplastics have been weathered by sunlight, these findings suggest real-world impacts on marine ecosystems may be worse than laboratory studies with fresh plastics indicate.
Changes in the Chemical Composition of Polyethylene Terephthalate under UV Radiation in Various Environmental Conditions.
Researchers exposed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to UV radiation under controlled humidity conditions and tracked changes in its chemical composition, finding progressive oxidation and chain scission that alter the polymer's surface properties. Understanding how PET degrades under UV exposure is important for predicting how PET microplastics form and what chemical changes make them more or less bioavailable.
Screening the release of chemicals and microplastic particles from diverse plastic consumer products into water under accelerated UV weathering conditions
Researchers exposed eight common plastic consumer products to UV light simulating eight months of weathering and found they released both microplastic particles and hundreds of chemical compounds into water. The UV exposure significantly increased the release of toxic metals and organic chemicals compared to products kept in the dark. Many of the detected substances exceeded safety thresholds, suggesting that sun-degraded plastic products could pose meaningful health and environmental risks.
Plastic litter fate and contaminant transport within the urban environment, photodegradation, fragmentation, and heavy metal uptake from storm runoff
Researchers studied how plastic litter in urban environments degrades into microplastics through sun exposure and examined the capacity of these fragments to absorb heavy metals from stormwater runoff. The study found that photodegradation of polyethylene and PET creates microplastic fragments that can then pick up heavy metal contaminants from urban runoff, compounding their environmental impact.
Contaminant release from aged microplastic
Researchers exposed recycled plastic granules of polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene to simulated aging conditions including UV radiation and high temperatures. They found that aging significantly increased the rate at which chemical additives leached from the plastic particles into water, with UV exposure having the greatest effect. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals at much higher rates than fresh plastic materials.
Physicochemical and biological ageing processes of (micro)plastics in the environment: a multi-tiered study on polyethylene
Researchers applied a multi-tiered approach combining laboratory aging, field deployment, and environmental simulation to study how polyethylene plastic undergoes physicochemical and biological weathering in natural settings. The study found that UV radiation and microbial colonization act synergistically to accelerate surface oxidation and fragmentation of PE into smaller particles.
Unraveling the impacts of photolysis-induced aging microplastics on enhanced immunotoxicity and nephrotoxicity
Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine and sun-aged polyethylene and PET microplastics on kidney cells and immune cells and found that aged particles were up to 40 percent more toxic. The increased harm was attributed to environmentally persistent free radicals that form on plastic surfaces during UV exposure, which amplify oxidative stress inside cells. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the real environment may pose greater health risks than the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.
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.
Weathering effect triggers the sorption enhancement of microplastics against oxybenzone
Researchers found that weathering in air, seawater, and freshwater makes PET microplastics absorb significantly more oxybenzone, a common sunscreen chemical, than fresh plastic does. Aging creates surface cracks and new chemical groups that increase the plastic's ability to bind pollutants. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they become more effective carriers of harmful chemicals.
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.
Effect of sunlight aging on physicochemical properties and sorption capacities of environmental microplastics: implications for contamination by PAHs
Researchers studied how sunlight aging changes the physical and chemical properties of three common plastics -- polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene -- and their ability to absorb pollutants. They found that plastics exposed to outdoor sunlight for 69 days absorbed up to 3.5 times more of the carcinogenic compound pyrene compared to new plastics, likely due to surface changes from weathering. The findings suggest that older, weathered microplastics in the environment may accumulate harmful pollutants more readily than fresh plastic particles.
Investigating the Physicochemical Property Changes of Plastic Packaging Exposed to UV Irradiation and Different Aqueous Environments
Researchers investigated UV-driven degradation of polypropylene and PET packaging materials under different aqueous conditions, finding that UV exposure caused significant physicochemical changes including increased crystallinity and surface cracking that contribute to microplastic formation.
Polyethylene, whose surface has been modified by UV irradiation, induces cytotoxicity: A comparison with microplastics found in beaches
Researchers showed that polyethylene microplastics degraded by UV light, mimicking what happens to plastics in the environment, were toxic to immune and skin cells in lab tests. Fresh, undegraded plastic particles did not cause the same harm, meaning weathered microplastics found in nature are likely more dangerous than the pristine plastics typically used in lab studies. This suggests that real-world human exposure to environmentally aged microplastics may carry greater health risks than current research indicates.
Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment
Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.
Synergistic interplay of weathered microplastics: Coupling sorption-leaching behavior and environmental risk implications
Researchers investigated how photo-weathering alters the properties of polystyrene and PVC microplastics, affecting their ability to adsorb heavy metals and leach chemical additives. They found that UVC irradiation caused more significant surface changes than xenon light, and weathering accelerated the leaching rate of the plasticizer DEHP from PVC by three times. A health risk assessment showed that weathered microplastics posed roughly double the health risk of virgin microplastics.
Understanding microplastic aging driven by photosensitization of algal extracellular polymeric substances
Researchers found that substances released by algae significantly speed up the breakdown of polystyrene microplastics under sunlight. The algal compounds generate reactive molecules that attack the plastic surface, creating smaller fragments and releasing dissolved organic matter. The findings are particularly relevant for understanding how microplastics degrade in waterways affected by algal blooms.