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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Correlation between the stability and toxicity of PFAS–nanoplastic colloids
ClearMicroplastics as carriers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environment: interactions and ecotoxicological effects
Researchers reviewed how microplastics serve as carriers for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes called forever chemicals, in aquatic environments. The study found that PFAS can attach to microplastic surfaces and accumulate in organisms through the food chain, potentially amplifying the toxic effects of both pollutants. The findings suggest that the combined presence of microplastics and PFAS poses a greater environmental and health risk than either pollutant alone.
Molecular-Scale Insights into the Interactions between Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Polyethylene
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called microplastics can strongly attract and hold onto toxic "forever chemicals" called PFAS, which are already found in drinking water and food. This means microplastics in our environment could act like sponges that collect these harmful chemicals and potentially transport them to new places, including into our bodies. The research helps explain why these two types of pollution might work together to create bigger health risks than either one alone.
PFAS Associated with Microplastics (MPs)
This review examined the environmental and health risks of the 'forever alliance' between PFAS and microplastics, where PFAS adsorb onto MP surfaces, increasing their environmental mobility, bioavailability, and combined toxicity. The interaction amplifies the hazards of both contaminant classes and complicates risk assessment.
Interaction of microplastics with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water: A review of the fate, mechanisms and toxicity
This review examines how microplastics act as carriers for PFAS ("forever chemicals") in water, with the two pollutants interacting through various chemical mechanisms that affect their movement through the environment. The combined presence of microplastics and PFAS raises concerns about increased toxicity, since microplastics can transport these persistent chemicals into organisms and potentially concentrate their harmful effects.
The Microplastic–PFAS Nexus: From Co-Occurrence to Combined Toxicity in Aquatic Environments
This review examines the interconnected environmental behavior of microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals"), showing that microplastics can act as carriers, concentrators, and secondary sources of PFAS contamination. Researchers found that co-exposure to both pollutants often produces synergistic toxic effects in aquatic organisms, disrupting processes from photosynthesis to neurological development. The study argues that current regulations assessing these pollutants individually are inadequate and must evolve to address their combined effects.
Interactions between perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics (MPs): Findings from an extensive investigation
This study tested how PFAS ("forever chemicals") interact with 18 different types of microplastic and found that polyamide (nylon) plastics absorbed up to 100% of the PFAS in solution. Since both PFAS and microplastics are widespread environmental pollutants, their ability to bind together means microplastics may act as carriers that concentrate and transport these harmful chemicals into water, soil, and ultimately the human body.
The unheeded inherent connections and overlap between microplastics and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances: A comprehensive review
This review reveals the overlooked connection between microplastics and PFAS (forever chemicals), showing that these two widespread pollutants often come from the same products and interact in the environment. Microplastics can absorb PFAS onto their surfaces and transport them through water systems, potentially increasing exposure for aquatic organisms and humans. Understanding this overlap is important because the combined effects may be more harmful than either pollutant alone.
Microplastics and PFAS as ubiquitous pollutants affect potencies of highly toxic chemicals in mixtures
Researchers investigated how ubiquitous pollutants like PFAS and microplastics affect the toxicity of other highly toxic chemicals when present together in mixtures. They found that even at non-toxic concentrations, PFAS and microplastics could alter the potency of co-occurring toxic compounds. The study highlights the importance of considering pollutant interactions in complex environmental mixtures rather than assessing chemicals in isolation.
A tale of two emerging contaminants: Interfacial interactions, co-transport behaviors and ecotoxicological implications between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances and micro(nano)plastics.
This review examined how PFAS and micro/nanoplastics co-occur in the environment, form interfacial adsorption complexes, and interact synergistically within organisms. The authors found that the two contaminant classes amplify each other's toxicity in co-exposure scenarios and that their shared transport pathways complicate standard risk assessment.
Interaction and combined toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic environment
This review examines how microplastics interact with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environments and the combined toxic effects on organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb PFAS chemicals and transport them through water systems, potentially increasing exposure for aquatic life. The study highlights that the combination of these two widespread pollutant types may pose greater ecological risks than either one alone.
Unraveling the complexities of microplastics and PFAS synergy to foster sustainable environmental remediation and ecosystem protection: A critical review with novel insights
This review examines how microplastics and PFAS (sometimes called 'forever chemicals') interact in the environment, since both often come from the same everyday products. The authors found that microplastics can carry PFAS on their surface, and when organisms are exposed to both together, the combined toxic effects including oxidative stress and reproductive harm can be worse than either pollutant alone.
Unveiling the adsorption mechanism of perfluorooctane sulfonate onto polypropylene nanoplastics: A combined theoretical and experimental investigation
Researchers combined computer simulations with lab experiments to understand how PFOS, a widespread "forever chemical," attaches to polypropylene nanoplastic particles in water. They found that PFOS binds readily to the plastic surface, and the resulting combination moves more easily through water than the plastic particle alone, making it potentially more dangerous. Changes in water acidity (pH) can affect how much PFOS sticks to the plastic, influencing how these pollutants travel together through the environment.
Adsorption of PFAS onto secondary microplastics: A mechanistic study
Researchers studied how PFAS (toxic "forever chemicals") attach to microplastics that form when PET water bottles break down in the environment. They found that PFAS bonds to these microplastic surfaces within hours in both fresh and salt water, meaning microplastics can act as carriers for these harmful chemicals. This is concerning because people may be exposed to both microplastics and the dangerous chemicals hitchhiking on them through contaminated water.
Binding of Perfluoroalkyl Substances to Nanoplastic Protein Corona Is pH‐Dependent and Attenuates Their Bioavailability and Toxicity
Researchers studied how common industrial pollutants called PFAS chemicals interact with nanoplastics and blood proteins in the human body. The study found that when nanoplastics are present, they actually reduce the cellular uptake of PFAS chemicals and lessen their toxicity, because the protein layer that forms on nanoplastic surfaces traps the pollutants and limits their availability to cells.
Toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sentinel freshwater models, Daphnia, Zebrafish and unicellular green algae: A systemic review
Researchers reviewed 68 studies on how microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals") affect freshwater organisms like Daphnia, zebrafish, and algae, finding that both contaminants are more toxic at chronic low doses than in short-term exposures, and that combining them tends to amplify harm — while noting almost no research has studied them together.
Co-accumulation characteristics and interaction mechanism of microplastics and PFASs in a large shallow lake
Researchers examined how microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals, accumulate together in Taihu Lake, China. They found that microplastics can adsorb and concentrate these persistent chemicals on their surfaces, with the interaction strength depending on plastic type and environmental conditions. The study raises concerns that microplastics may act as carriers that spread forever chemicals through freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastics and PFAS air-water interaction and deposition
This study examines how microplastics and PFAS (forever chemicals) interact in the environment, with microplastics acting as carriers that transport PFAS through water and air over long distances. Both pollutants are persistent and can deposit together in urban, rural, and remote areas through rain and atmospheric fallout. The combined exposure to both microplastics and PFAS is a growing concern for human health because their toxic effects may be amplified when they occur together.
The emerging threat of hybrid microplastics: Impacts on per(poly)fluoroalkyl substance bioaccumulation and phytotoxicity in floating macrophytes
This study examined how mixtures of different microplastic types interact with PFAS (forever chemicals) and found that more diverse microplastic mixtures increased the absorption and toxicity of PFAS in aquatic plants. The complexity of real-world microplastic pollution, where multiple plastic types coexist, appears to make forever chemical contamination worse. This finding is important because most lab studies test single plastic types, potentially underestimating the actual environmental risk.
Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Do They Matter to Aquatic Ecosystems?
This review examines PFAS, the persistent 'forever chemicals' widely used in consumer products, and their growing threat to aquatic ecosystems. Evidence indicates that PFAS accumulate in aquatic organisms, disrupt hormones, and can alter how other pollutants behave in the environment. The research is relevant to microplastic concerns because PFAS are commonly found in plastic products and can leach from microplastics into water.
Do Perfluorinated Chemicals Enhance the Toxicity of Other Contaminants in Aquatic Organisms?
This review of existing research found that PFAS chemicals (commonly called "forever chemicals" found in non-stick cookware and food packaging) make other pollutants like pesticides, metals, and microplastics more harmful to fish and other water animals. When these chemicals mix together in the environment, they cause worse health problems than each pollutant would cause alone, including damage to development, reproduction, and body functions. This matters because humans are also exposed to these same chemical mixtures through contaminated water and food, suggesting we could face similar increased health risks.
Combined Environmental Impacts and Toxicological Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Microplastics (MPs)
This review examines how microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) frequently co-occur in the environment and interact to alter each other's environmental fate and biological effects. Researchers found that co-exposure can enhance PFAS bioaccumulation by up to 2.5-fold compared to PFAS alone, accompanied by amplified oxidative stress, immune disruption, and reproductive impairment in aquatic organisms. The magnitude and direction of combined effects depend heavily on polymer type, particle size, surface aging, and biological context.
Unveiling the Truth of Interactions between Microplastics and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Microplastics as a Carrier of PFASs and Beyond
Researchers discovered that microplastics in wastewater treatment plants act as carriers for PFAS (forever chemicals), absorbing them from the water and potentially releasing them back into the environment. Commercial plastics were found to leach even more PFAS than environmental samples, with some chemicals releasing more than was originally absorbed. This dual role of microplastics as both carriers and sources of forever chemicals means they could significantly increase human exposure to these persistent, harmful substances.
Combined exposure with microplastics increases the toxic effects of PFOS and its alternative F-53B in adult zebrafish
Researchers found that when zebrafish were exposed to microplastics along with PFOS or its replacement chemical F-53B (both are "forever chemicals"), the combined toxic effects were worse than either pollutant alone. The microplastics worsened liver inflammation, disrupted energy metabolism, and altered gut bacteria. This is relevant to human health because people are simultaneously exposed to both microplastics and PFAS chemicals through food and water.
Fate and enzymatic response of co-exposed photoaged nanoplastic and PFAS: Insights from a human gastrointestinal simulation
This study simulated human digestion to examine what happens when nanoplastics and PFAS (forever chemicals) are consumed together. Sun-aged nanoplastics were far more bioaccessible in the digestive system than fresh ones, and the combination with certain PFAS types increased absorption of both pollutants. The results suggest that real-world exposure, where weathered nanoplastics and forever chemicals co-exist, may pose greater health risks than studies of individual pollutants indicate.