Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Fish: A Comprehensive Review

This review synthesizes research on microplastics in fish, covering contamination sources, detection methods, and impacts on wild and farmed populations globally — and examining how plastic particles in fish tissues may transfer to humans through seafood consumption.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Microplasts in Freshwater Fish – Problems and Challenges

This review examines microplastic contamination of freshwater fish, covering ingestion evidence from over 150 species, the mechanisms of accumulation in gastrointestinal and other tissues, potential health impacts, and challenges in standardizing quantification methodologies.

2025 Journal Scientific and Applied Research
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Impacts of Microplastics in Freshwater Fish

This review summarizes research on microplastic occurrence in freshwater fish across multiple regions, examining ingestion rates, polymer types, and potential health effects. The authors highlight that freshwater fish are widely exposed to microplastics and call for more standardized monitoring to assess risks to fish and to people who eat them.

2017 Journal of Aquaculture & Marine Biology 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Systems: A Review on Its Accumulation and Effects on Fishes

This review covers the accumulation and effects of microplastics in freshwater fish, including how fish ingest them through feeding and the physical and chemical harm they can cause. Since many freshwater fish species are consumed by humans, the findings are relevant to food safety.

2018 Preprints.org 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater fishes: Occurrence, impacts and future perspectives

This review synthesizes current knowledge about microplastic contamination in freshwater fish, which serve as important indicators of plastic pollution in rivers and lakes. Researchers found that microplastic ingestion patterns in fish are related to body size, feeding habits, and local urbanization levels, with controlled studies showing various effects on fish physiology and behavior. While fish can typically expel most microplastics quickly, certain particle shapes and sizes may remain in the body or cross into other organs through the intestinal wall.

2021 Fish and Fisheries 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Threats of Microplastic Pollution on Fishes and its Implications on Human Health (Review Article)

This review summarizes research from 2010 to 2023 on microplastic contamination in fish and its potential implications for human health. Researchers found that microplastics are ingested by fish across diverse aquatic environments, with particles accumulating in the gastrointestinal tract and other tissues. The study highlights concerns that microplastic-contaminated seafood may represent a pathway for human exposure to both the plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Effects of Microplastics on Freshwater Fish

This review examines the growing body of research on how microplastics affect freshwater fish, documenting evidence of ingestion, tissue damage, immune system impairment, and gastrointestinal obstruction across multiple species. Researchers highlight that microplastics from personal care products and degraded plastic goods are accumulating in freshwater ecosystems at concerning rates. The study warns that combined with existing threats like overfishing and habitat loss, microplastic pollution could accelerate population declines in vulnerable fish species.

2024 International Journal of Nature and Life Sciences 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the ecotoxicological impacts of microplastics on freshwater fish: A critical review

This review examines how microplastics affect freshwater fish, which often mistake the tiny particles for food. Once ingested, microplastics do not stay in the gut -- they enter the bloodstream and spread to the gills, liver, brain, heart, and reproductive organs, causing hormonal, immune, neurological, and reproductive problems. Because microplastics build up in the food chain, the contamination of fish has broader implications for other animals and for people who eat freshwater fish.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics in freshwater fishes health and the implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics affect the health of freshwater fish, which are a major protein source for billions of people. Fish ingest microplastics that accumulate in their guts, gills, and tissues, leading to inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted growth. Since microplastics in fish tissue can transfer to humans through the food chain, this is relevant to both ecosystem and human health.

2023 Brazilian Journal of Biology 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Fish and Shellfish – A Threat to Seafood Safety?

This review evaluated the current knowledge on microplastic contamination in fish and shellfish in relation to seafood safety. Researchers found that while microplastics are commonly detected in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish (which are typically not consumed), bivalves and small fish eaten whole may present a more direct route of human exposure, though the overall health risk from microplastics in seafood remains uncertain.

2020 Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology 131 citations
Review Tier 2

Plastic Particle Ingestion by Wild Freshwater Fish: A Critical Review

This critical review synthesized data from studies of plastic particle ingestion by wild freshwater fish globally, examining methodological differences and drawing conclusions about the scale and consistency of the problem. The review found ingestion to be widespread across species and geographies but highlighted significant methodological inconsistencies that complicate cross-study comparisons.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 193 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Microplastics as Contaminants in Freshwater Ecosystems and Human Food Chain

This review examines the impacts of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems and human food chains, tracing how plastic particles enter rivers and lakes, accumulate in fish and invertebrates, and transfer to humans through consumption of contaminated freshwater species.

2025
Article Tier 2

Exposure pathway derived accumulation of microplastics in freshwater fish: A critical review

This systematic review of 78 field and laboratory studies synthesized how microplastics accumulate in different freshwater fish tissues depending on exposure pathway, finding that gill-filtered and orally ingested particles follow distinct tissue distribution patterns.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Fish and Fishery Products and Risks for Human Health: A Review

This review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in fish and seafood products and the associated human health risks. Microplastics found in fish can carry harmful chemicals and pathogens, and once eaten by humans, they may cause oxidative stress and move from the gut to other tissues. The review highlights seafood as a major dietary source of microplastic exposure and calls for better monitoring and risk assessment.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 200 citations
Review Tier 2

Bioavailability and toxicity of microplastics to fish species: A review

This review summarizes current knowledge about microplastic ingestion and its toxic effects in fish species worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics have been detected in fish from nearly all types of aquatic habitats, and both field and laboratory studies confirm fish are highly susceptible to ingesting these particles. The study notes that microplastics alone or combined with other pollutants can cause various health problems in fish, raising concerns about implications for human seafood consumption.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 511 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Distribution Patterns in Fish and Implications for Safe Consumption

Researchers examined over 1,000 fish from 37 species and found microplastics in the gills and guts of about 36-40% of fish, but none in muscle tissue. Fish from shallower waters and smaller fish had more microplastics. The study recommends that people eat only the muscle portion of fish and choose larger fish from deeper waters to reduce their microplastic intake, estimating that global per capita exposure from fish is about 56,000 particles per year.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Fish and Seafood Species

This chapter reviews microplastic contamination in fish and seafood species, including how plastics enter seafood through wild capture and aquaculture pathways. Because seafood is widely consumed globally, microplastics in fish and shellfish represent a direct route of human dietary exposure.

2022 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Sampling, isolating and identifying microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates

This study reviewed sampling and identification methods for microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates, evaluating each approach for accuracy, reproducibility, and applicability to different species and sample types.

2016 Analytical Methods 945 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in wild freshwater fish: Global trends, challenges and perspectives

This global review analyzed 144 studies on microplastic contamination in wild freshwater fish across 45 countries and found that 450 fish species were contaminated, including 35 species on the conservation Red List. Microplastics were most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract, with fibers and fragments being the dominant shapes. The evidence indicates that freshwater fish worldwide are widely exposed to microplastic pollution, with potential implications for both aquatic ecosystems and human seafood consumption.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Systematic Review of Microplastic Characterization Methods and Associated Toxicological Outcomes in Fish

This systematic review evaluated methods used to identify microplastics and their health effects in fish. The findings showed that microplastic exposure causes liver and gill damage, behavioral changes, and oxidative stress in fish, which matters for human health because contaminated fish is a common part of our diet.

2025 Environmental Research and Planetary Health