Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Role of benzophenone-3 additive in the effect of polyethylene microplastics on Daphnia magna population dynamics

This 34-day study examined how polyethylene microplastic fragments, both with and without the common plastic additive benzophenone-3, affect Daphnia magna water flea populations. Researchers found that while the microplastics alone did not significantly change population size during the growth phase, the presence of the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 altered population dynamics, suggesting that plastic additives may pose greater ecological risks than the plastic particles themselves.

2024 Aquatic Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of benzophenone-3 additive in chronic toxicity of polyethylene microplastic fragments to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 in polyethylene microplastics affects chronic toxicity in the water flea Daphnia magna. Surprisingly, daphnids exposed to microplastics containing BP-3 had higher survival rates than those exposed to plain microplastics, likely because BP-3 leachate altered the organisms' light-seeking behavior, reducing their microplastic intake. However, both BP-3-containing microplastics and BP-3 alone negatively affected reproduction, suggesting the additive introduces distinct toxicity concerns.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastic particles and leaching additive on the life history and morphology of Daphnia magna

Researchers compared the chronic effects of flexible PVC microplastics containing the plasticizer DiNP versus rigid PVC without plasticizer on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. They found that flexible PVC increased body length and reduced offspring production, while rigid PVC and glass bead controls had no effect. The study demonstrates that the plasticizer additive leaching from microplastics, rather than the plastic particle itself, can be the primary driver of biological harm.

2019 Environmental Pollution 204 citations
Article Tier 2

The contribution of additives to microplastic aquatic toxicity – A testing approach with model additives on selected aquatic organisms

Researchers developed a systematic testing approach to distinguish between the physical effects of microplastic particles and the chemical effects of their additives on aquatic organisms. The study found that polyethylene microplastics alone showed no significant toxicity to water fleas or protozoa, but the inorganic additive zinc oxide was toxic on its own. The findings suggest that the additives embedded in plastics, rather than the plastic particles themselves, may be the primary drivers of toxicity in some cases.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

The contribution of additives to microplastic aquatic toxicity - A testing approach with model additives on selected aquatic organisms

Researchers developed a systematic methodology to separate the physical effects of microplastic particles from the chemical effects of their embedded additives on aquatic organisms. The study found that polyethylene microplastics alone showed no significant toxicity to water fleas or protozoa, while the additive zinc oxide was toxic independently. Artificial aging changed how much additive was released from the plastics but did not change the overall toxicity to the tested organisms.

2026
Article Tier 2

Different effects of polyethylene microplastic and benzophenone-3 additive on interspecific competition of Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulex

Researchers studied interspecific competition between two Daphnia species under polyethylene microplastic and benzophenone-3 (a UV filter additive) exposure, finding that smaller D. pulex had a competitive advantage under microplastic alone due to lower uptake, while larger D. magna became dominant when the additive was present due to its greater tolerance.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Disentangling the influence of microplastics and their chemical additives on a model detritivore system

Researchers disentangled the physical and chemical effects of microplastics on freshwater detritivores, finding that chemical additives leaching from plastics contributed more to negative impacts on organisms than the polymer particles themselves.

2022 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Transgenerational effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments containing benzophenone-3 additive in Daphnia magna

Researchers investigated the transgenerational effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments containing the UV filter benzophenone-3 on water fleas (Daphnia magna) across four generations. They found that while mortality effects recovered by the third unexposed generation, reproductive impairments persisted, with the additive BP-3 contributing more to long-term toxicity than the plastic particles alone. The study suggests that chemical additives in microplastics may pose lasting risks to aquatic organisms even across generations that were never directly exposed.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Extractable additives in microplastics: A hidden threat to soil fauna

Researchers compared the toxic effects of five types of microplastics and their extractable chemical additives on a common soil worm species. They found that the additives leaching from the plastics were the primary driver of toxicity, reducing worm growth and survival and disrupting gut microbiota. The study indicates that the chemical additives embedded in microplastics may pose a greater threat to soil organisms than the plastic particles themselves.

2021 Environmental Pollution 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of extracellular polymeric substances in leaching and bioconcentration of benzophenone-3 from microplastic fragments

Researchers found that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by the alga Chlorella vulgaris reduced leaching of the UV filter benzophenone-3 (BP-3) from polyethylene microplastics under most conditions, but that Daphnia magna still bioconcentrated the chemical, demonstrating complex interactions between microplastics, biopolymers, and additive toxicity.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Complex release dynamics of microplastic additives: An interplay of additive degradation and microplastic aging

This study investigated how microplastics release their chemical additives -- including phthalates, bisphenol A, and flame retardants -- into water, especially under UV sunlight. The process is more complicated than simple leaching: sunlight both breaks down the additives and ages the plastic itself, which changes how fast chemicals are released. These findings matter because the toxic additives that leach from microplastics may pose a greater health risk than the plastic particles themselves.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term and long-term effects of microplastics and organic UV-filters on the invertebrate model species Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to polystyrene microplastics, a mixture of UV-filter chemicals found in sunscreens, or both over 21 days. The microplastics alone reduced body size and reproduction, while combined exposure with UV-filters further impaired swimming behavior and offspring production. The study highlights that microplastics and common personal care product chemicals can interact to create compounding negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

What are the drivers of microplastic toxicity? Comparing the toxicity of plastic chemicals and particles to Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to three types of microplastics -- PVC, polyurethane, and polylactic acid (a biodegradable plastic) -- to determine whether toxicity comes primarily from the particles themselves or from their chemical additives. They found that all three types harmed the organisms, but the drivers of toxicity varied by plastic type, with PVC toxicity linked to its chemical additives while polylactic acid reduced survival through particle effects. Notably, the study suggests that bio-based and biodegradable plastics can be just as toxic as conventional ones.

2020 Environmental Pollution 356 citations
Article Tier 2

Sublethal effects of bio-plastic microparticles and their components on the behaviour of Daphnia magna.

This study compared the toxicity of bioplastic microparticles made from PLA and PHB to traditional fossil-based plastics on water fleas, a common test organism. Surprisingly, the bioplastic particles were about five times more toxic than their chemical additives alone, and commercial bioplastic products were more harmful than standard laboratory-grade materials. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are automatically safer for the environment and raises questions about what happens when bioplastics break down into microparticles.

2023 Environmental Research 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of benzalkonium chlorides onto polyethylene microplastics: Mechanism and toxicity evaluation

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics adsorb benzalkonium chloride disinfectants and the combined toxic effects on water fleas. The study found that microplastics had strong adsorption capacity for these disinfectants, and surprisingly, the presence of microplastics increased survival rates of Daphnia magna by acting as scavengers that reduced the bioavailability of the toxic chemicals in water.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Beyond microplastics: Water soluble synthetic polymers exert sublethal adverse effects in the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna

Researchers found that water-soluble synthetic polymers, an overlooked category of plastic pollution, caused sublethal adverse effects in Daphnia magna including reduced reproduction and feeding rates, highlighting a previously unrecognized environmental risk beyond conventional microplastics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicological effects of microplastics and heavy metals on the Daphnia magna

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics of two sizes adsorb heavy metals and how their combined presence affects the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity for metals, and the combined toxicity shifted from antagonistic to additive effects as microplastic concentrations increased. The study reveals that smaller microplastics pose a greater toxicological risk when combined with heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic toxicity of UV-irradiated commercial polypropylene plastic particles and associated chemicals

Researchers tested the aquatic toxicity of UV-degraded polypropylene plastic particles on water fleas and algae. They found that smaller nanoplastic particles were significantly more toxic than larger microplastics, and the presence of a common plastic additive (the antioxidant Irgafos 168) made the particles even more harmful. The study suggests that as plastics break down in the environment and release their chemical additives, they may become increasingly dangerous to aquatic life.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations