Papers

61,005 results
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Meta Analysis Tier 1

The Impact of Microplastics on Global Public Health, Distribution, and Contamination: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data from 78 studies and confirmed that microplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, with particles found in blood, placentas, and stool. The research links microplastic exposure to inflammation, oxidative stress, hormonal disruption, and gut microbiome changes, underscoring the need for regulatory action on plastic pollution.

2025
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
Review Tier 2

Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics are found throughout the environment and in human samples, entering the body through food, air, and skin contact. Lab studies in cells and animals show microplastics can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, immune reactions, brain toxicity, and reproductive harm, and early human health data links microplastic exposure to several chronic diseases.

2023 Environment & Health 519 citations
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
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
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Humans: Distribution, Exposure, and Toxicological Effects

This meta-analysis tracked the rapid growth of research on microplastics and human health, finding a shift from studying environmental pollution toward understanding direct human exposure and health effects. Emerging concerns include reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and immune system disruption from microplastic exposure.

2025 Polymers 10 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Global Review of Distribution, Ecotoxicological Impacts, and Human Health Risks

This global review summarizes how microplastics are distributed across freshwater, marine, and polar environments, and examines their ecological and human health impacts. People are exposed through contaminated seafood, water, and air, and research links microplastic exposure to oxidative stress, inflammation, hormone disruption, and possible genetic effects at the cellular level.

2025 Water 20 citations
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
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
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Microplastic on Human Health

This review synthesized evidence on microplastic exposure pathways and health effects in humans, finding that microplastics enter the body via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact and are associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, genotoxicity, and endocrine disruption.

2021 Current Biotechnology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-plastics: An invisible danger to human health

This review examined microplastics as invisible but pervasive threats to human health, summarizing exposure routes via air, water, and food, and reviewing evidence from animal studies linking microplastic exposure to inflammation, oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and reproductive harm, while calling for urgent human epidemiological research.

2021 CGC International Journal of Contemporary Technology and Research 13 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
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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and Their Human Health Effects - Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews in Research of Microplastics

This systematic review of systematic reviews provides an overview of what is known about microplastics and human health. The research found that while microplastics are confirmed to be present in the human body, the specific health effects linked to different plastic types remain poorly understood. The study highlights that this field is still young and calls for more research to clarify the true health risks of daily microplastic exposure.

2025
Systematic Review Tier 1

Are Microplastics a Macro Issue? A Review on the Sources of Contamination, Analytical Challenges and Impact on Human Health of Microplastics in Food

This systematic review examines how microplastics enter the human food supply and what health effects they may cause. The research found microplastics in a wide range of foods, but major inconsistencies in testing methods make it difficult to determine true contamination levels. While the full health impact remains unclear, the evidence suggests that microplastic exposure through food is widespread and warrants further study.

2023 Foods 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Human health: Time for us to get attentive- before it’s too late

This paper reviewed the growing evidence on microplastic impacts on human health, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes, and the potential for microplastics to cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption. The authors argue the problem demands urgent regulatory attention.

2024 Diabetes Asia Journal.
Article Tier 2

An Investigation into the Environmental and Human Health Implications of Microplastic Toxicity

This review synthesizes evidence on how microplastics are distributed throughout the environment, the routes by which people are exposed (food, water, and air), and the health effects documented in experimental studies. The authors find significant links between microplastic exposure and adverse health outcomes and call for urgent regulatory action and more research into long-term human health risks.

2023 Social Science Humanities and Sustainability Research 1 citations
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

Human exposure to microplastics: A review on exposure routes and public health impacts

This review examines how microplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact and the health effects they can cause, including oxidative stress, inflammation, hormone disruption, and potential DNA damage. Despite growing evidence of harm, the exact routes plastics take through the body and the cellular mechanisms behind their effects are still not well understood, and there is an urgent need for standardized detection methods.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 37 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastic Pollution and Monitoring in Seawater and Harbor Environments: A Meta-Analysis and Review

This meta-analysis reviews microplastic pollution levels in seawater and harbors worldwide, finding that contamination is widespread and persistent. The research matters for human health because marine microplastics enter the food chain through fish and shellfish, representing a significant route of exposure for seafood consumers.

2023 Sustainability 43 citations
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

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: Sources, Impacts, and Challenges for Biodiversity, Food Security, and Human Health - A Meta Analysis

This meta-analysis pooled data from multiple studies on microplastic pollution in water environments. It found that microplastics are everywhere in aquatic ecosystems, with polyethylene and polystyrene being the most common types. These particles build up in fish, shellfish, and other organisms we eat, causing oxidative stress, reproductive problems, and nerve damage — raising concerns about our food safety and long-term health.

2024 Journal of Angiotherapy 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastic pollution on human health - current issues

This review covers the sources, distribution, and ecological implications of microplastics in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments, synthesizing existing knowledge and research gaps. It finds that MPs are a global contaminant threatening biodiversity and human health through chemical leaching, endocrine disruption, and physical harm to organisms at multiple trophic levels.

2025 Ecological Questions
Article Tier 2

[Clinical impact of microplastic exposure in humans].

This review summarized clinical evidence on the health impacts of microplastic exposure in humans, covering routes of entry (air, food, contact) and the range of organ systems affected. It concluded that while data are still emerging, current evidence supports concern about microplastic accumulation and its potential to cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and systemic health effects.

2025 Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde