Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Bridging lab and field: Tracking environmentally relevant nanoplastics in crops using Py-GC/MS

Researchers developed a method to track environmentally realistic nanoplastics in barley plants using a novel analytical technique. They produced nanoplastics from weathered polystyrene foam to better mimic real-world conditions and confirmed the particles could be taken up by plant roots and move into above-ground tissues. The study provides important evidence that crops grown in contaminated soil can absorb nanoplastics, with implications for food safety.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of nanoplastics uptake and transport in lettuce by pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Researchers developed a reliable laboratory method to precisely measure the amount of nanoplastic particles taken up by lettuce plants, using a combination of chemical digestion and specialized mass spectrometry techniques. They found that lettuce roots absorbed polystyrene nanoplastics and transported them to the leaves, with uptake levels depending on particle size. The study suggests that crops grown in nanoplastic-contaminated environments could accumulate these particles in their edible parts, raising questions about food safety.

2023 Talanta 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of microplastics in agricultural soil by double‐shot pyrolysis‐gas chromatography combined with two‐step extraction

Researchers developed a pyrolysis-gas chromatography method combining two-step solvent extraction to simultaneously measure five common microplastic polymer types (PC, PS, PP, PE, PET) in agricultural soil samples with good sensitivity and linearity. A reliable, validated method for quantifying microplastics in soil is essential for understanding how agricultural practices and plastic mulch use contribute to soil contamination and potential human dietary exposure.

2023 Journal of Separation Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of Polystyrene Microplastic in Soil by Pyrolysis – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (pyr-GC-MS)

This study developed and validated a pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC-MS) method for quantifying polystyrene microplastics in soil samples. The technique offers a sensitive analytical approach for detecting plastic contamination in terrestrial environments.

2023 Analytical Letters 18 citations
Article Tier 2

A practical method for mass quantification of microplastics in soil media using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Researchers developed and validated a pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) method for quantifying polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics in soil, achieving low detection limits (0.02-0.44 microgram), strong linearity, and recovery rates of 86-100% across three soil types. Cryomilling improved homogeneity and accuracy by 3.2%, and FTIR confirmed polymer identities with over 85% spectral match.

2025 MethodsX
Article Tier 2

Quantification of Nanoplastic Uptake in Cucumber Plants by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Researchers developed a new analytical method to measure how much nanoplastic cucumber plants absorb from their growing environment. Using this technique, they detected up to nearly 7,000 micrograms per gram of nanoplastics in dried plant tissues after just two weeks of exposure, confirming that the tiny particles can be taken up, transported, and accumulated throughout the plant. The findings raise concerns about nanoplastics potentially entering the human food chain through contaminated produce.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 179 citations
Article Tier 2

Determination of extractable pollutants from microplastics to vegetables: Accumulation and incorporation into the food chain

Researchers developed a method to detect plastic-related chemical compounds that leach into vegetables, finding that root vegetables contained higher levels of these contaminants than non-root varieties. The study identified 16 quantifiable plastic-associated compounds in the samples, including potentially harmful substances like styrene and phthalates. The findings raise concerns about how microplastics in soil may introduce chemical pollutants into the food chain through crop uptake.

2023 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Pyr-GC-MS analysis of microplastics extracted from farmland soils

This study used pyrolysis-GC-MS to identify and quantify microplastics in farmland soils, finding multiple polymer types in agricultural fields. The work helps establish analytical methods for studying this growing but less-studied pathway of microplastic contamination.

2021 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the growth and metabolism of highland barley seedlings based on LC-MS

Researchers exposed highland barley seedlings to different concentrations of polystyrene microplastics and found that low to medium levels actually increased plant growth, while high levels significantly reduced it. The microplastics triggered oxidative stress and disrupted key metabolic pathways involved in flavonoid production, energy metabolism, and fatty acid production. These changes to crop metabolism could affect the nutritional quality and safety of food crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 11 citations
Article Tier 2

A new quantitative insight: Interaction of polyethylene microplastics with soil - microbiome - crop

Researchers developed a new method to track and measure how polyethylene microplastics move through soil and into crops, and for the first time demonstrated that micron-sized particles can accumulate in plant tissues, with the highest concentrations found in roots. Weathered microplastics significantly reduced soil nutrients and inhibited plant growth in maize, while fresh microplastics had different effects on soil chemistry. The findings suggest that aging microplastics in agricultural soil may pose a greater risk to crop productivity than previously understood.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Mass-based trophic transfer of polystyrene nanoplastics in the lettuce-snail food chain

Researchers traced the trophic transfer of polystyrene nanoplastics from water into lettuce plants and then into garden snails, finding measurable mass-based transfer at each step of the food chain even at low nanoplastic concentrations using pyrolysis-GC/MS quantification.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on plant biogenic volatile organic compounds emission: A preliminary study

Researchers discovered that lettuce exposed to polystyrene microplastics dramatically changed the types and amounts of volatile chemicals the plants released, with some stress-related compounds increasing 7-fold. The microplastics also reduced the plants' natural antioxidant defenses and shifted root bacteria communities. These plant chemical signals could serve as early warning indicators of microplastic contamination in agricultural environments.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Analytical challenges in detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in soil-plant systems

This systematic review found that no universal, efficient, or cost-effective analytical method exists for detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in soil and plant samples, identifying this as the primary barrier to understanding plastic contamination in food systems. Current techniques like Py-GC/MS and vibrational spectroscopy each have significant limitations, especially for the smallest nanoplastic fractions that may pose the greatest health risks.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The review of nanoplastics in plants: Detection, analysis, uptake, migration and risk

This review examines how nanoplastics are detected, analyzed, taken up by plants, and migrate through plant tissues from roots to edible parts. As nanoplastics are found in agricultural soils, understanding how they enter food crops is critical for assessing human dietary exposure.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Uptake and accumulation of microplastics in an edible plant

Researchers demonstrated for the first time that edible plants can take up and accumulate microplastics from soil. Using fluorescently labeled polystyrene beads, they showed that 0.2-micrometer particles entered lettuce roots through small cracks at lateral root emergence sites, traveled through the vascular system, and accumulated in the leaves. The findings raise concerns about a previously unrecognized pathway for human microplastic exposure through the consumption of vegetables grown in contaminated soil.

2019 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of microplastics in environmental samples via pressurized liquid extraction and pyrolysis-gas chromatography

Researchers combined pressurized liquid extraction with pyrolysis-gas chromatography to quantify microplastics in environmental samples, validating the method against reference materials and real-world samples. The approach offers a quantitative, polymer-specific measurement of bulk microplastic mass in sediments and soils, complementing particle-counting methods.

2019 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 313 citations
Article Tier 2

QuantifyingNanoplastics and Microplastics in Foodand Beverages Using Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry:Challenges and Implications

Researchers evaluated pyrolysis-GC/MS for quantifying nanoplastics and microplastics in common foods and beverages, assessing sensitivity and detection limits across polymer types. The method successfully detected multiple polymer types in food samples but showed limitations for nanoplastics at very low concentrations, highlighting gaps in current dietary exposure assessment.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Analytical Approaches for Analyzing Microplastics Using Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Accelerated Solvent Extraction

Using a combination of solvent extraction and pyrolysis-based mass analysis, researchers quantified five plastic polymers in biosolids from two municipal wastewater treatment plants, finding that polyethylene dominated by mass. This mass-based approach complements particle-counting methods and provides a clearer picture of the true polymer burden in sludge that is often spread on agricultural soil, creating a potential pathway for microplastics to enter the food chain.

2026 CUNY Academic Works (City University of New York)
Article Tier 2

Identification and quantification of nanoplastics in different crops using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Researchers developed a reliable method to measure nanoplastics in food crops and found significant contamination in four types of vegetables including cowpea and cabbage. PVC and polyethylene nanoplastics were the most common, with cowpea showing especially high levels of PET nanoplastics. This is one of the first studies to actually quantify nanoplastic levels in crops, providing important data for understanding how much plastic people may be consuming through their diet.

2024 Chemosphere 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and detection of label-free polystyrene microplastics in maize seedlings by Raman spectroscopy

Researchers developed a label-free method to detect and identify polystyrene microplastics in maize seedling tissues using spectroscopic techniques, confirming that plant roots can take up plastic particles from contaminated soil. The approach enables tracking microplastic uptake pathways in crops without chemical labeling.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the accurate quantification of micro- and nanoplastics in human blood

Researchers developed and refined pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (a technique that heats plastics to identify their chemical fingerprints) to more accurately measure micro- and nanoplastics directly in human blood. Improving this method is critical because reliable detection in biological samples is a key step toward understanding how much plastic exposure humans are actually experiencing.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Visual observation of polystyrene nano-plastics in grape seedlings of Thompson Seedless and assessing their effects via transcriptomics and metabolomics

Researchers demonstrated for the first time that polystyrene nanoplastics can be absorbed by grapevine roots and transported throughout the plant, reaching the leaves. The nanoplastics disrupted the plants' metabolism and activated stress-response pathways. This finding is important because it shows nanoplastics from contaminated soil could enter the food chain through grapes and other fruit crops.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Aged polyethylene microplastics modulate herbicide and antibiotic bioavailability and plant responses: A case study with glyphosate and tetracycline

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles commonly found in farm soil can stick to plant roots and change how plants absorb harmful chemicals like pesticides and antibiotics. The plastic pieces made plants more stressed and damaged, reducing important nutrients like chlorophyll by 30%. This matters because it could affect the safety and quality of the food we eat, since these plastic particles are becoming more common in agricultural areas where our crops are grown.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Microplastics analysis in environmental samples – recent pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method improvements to increase the reliability of mass-related data

This study improved pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) methods for measuring mass-related microplastic data in environmental samples, enhancing reliability and sensitivity for trace-level analysis. Better analytical methods are essential for accurately quantifying microplastic contamination across diverse environmental matrices.

2019 Analytical Methods 224 citations