Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

The Effect of Microplastics-Plants on the Bioavailability of Copper and Zinc in the Soil of a Sewage Irrigation Area

Researchers examined how different concentrations of microplastics affect the bioavailability of copper and zinc in sewage-irrigated soils, finding that microplastics can alter heavy metal mobility and plant uptake, with implications for food safety in contaminated agricultural areas.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic Amendments Enhance the Remediation Potential of Economically Important Crops in Weakly Alkaline Heavy Metal-Contaminated Bauxite Residues

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it examines organic amendments (peat, cow dung, bagasse, microbial fertilizer) for remediating heavy metal-contaminated bauxite residues using crop cultivation, with no connection to plastic pollution.

2024 Agriculture 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of naturally aged microplastics on arsenic and cadmium accumulation in lettuce: Insights into rhizosphere microecology

Researchers studied how naturally aged microplastics in soil affect the uptake of arsenic and cadmium by lettuce. At low concentrations, microplastics actually reduced heavy metal absorption and helped plant growth, but at higher concentrations they increased the amount of toxic metals taken up by the lettuce. This means microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher levels of heavy metals in salad greens and other vegetables that people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in the agricultural soil—mitigation strategies, heavy metals contamination, and impact on human health: a review

This review examines how microplastics contaminate agricultural soil through plastic mulch, irrigation water, and fertilizers, then alter soil chemistry, harm beneficial microorganisms, and reduce crop productivity. The authors highlight that microplastics can accumulate in crops and enter the human food chain, posing risks to food safety and human health, particularly through daily food and water consumption.

2024 Plant Cell Reports 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro plastic driving changes in the soil microbes and lettuce growth under the influence of heavy metals contaminated soil

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated soil and their combined effects on lettuce growth and soil bacteria. Different types of microplastics altered soil chemistry and changed which microbes thrived, sometimes making heavy metals more available to plants. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could affect both the safety and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter Cr accumulation and fruit quality in Cr(VI) contaminated soil-cucumber system during the lifecycle: Insight from rhizosphere bacteria and root metabolism

Researchers studied how three types of microplastics affect chromium accumulation and fruit quality in cucumbers grown in contaminated soil across a full growing cycle. They found that polyethylene microplastics increased chromium uptake in plant tissues, while polyamide and polylactic acid microplastics decreased it, with each type altering root bacteria and plant metabolism differently. The study reveals that the type of microplastic present in agricultural soil can significantly influence how crops absorb heavy metal contaminants.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of soil microplastics: An overview on toxicity, effects on heavy metals adsorption, solid-phase extraction, and detection techniques

This review examined how microplastics in soil enter the food chain and pose human health risks, with particular attention to their role as carriers for heavy metals. Agricultural practices like plastic mulching and sewage sludge application were identified as major sources of soil MP contamination.

2025 Sustainable Environment
Article Tier 2

Influencing mechanisms of microplastics existence on soil heavy metals accumulated by plants

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics in soil affect the uptake of heavy metals by plants. Microplastics can change soil chemistry and microbial communities in ways that alter how much toxic metals plants absorb through their roots. This is concerning for human health because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could lead to crops that contain higher levels of dangerous heavy metals.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Impact of Soil Humic Substances, Textural Fractions on the Sorption of Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb)

Researchers assessed how soil humic substances and textural fractions influence the sorption of cadmium and lead in different Slovak soil types. The study found that the type and quantity of humic materials significantly affect heavy metal retention, which is relevant to understanding how contaminants interact with soil-bound microplastics.

2024 Applied Sciences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

How Valuable Are Organic Amendments as Tools for the Phytomanagement of Degraded Soils? The Knowns, Known Unknowns, and Unknowns

This review evaluates organic soil amendments — including sewage sludge, compost, and manure — as tools for restoring degraded soils, noting both benefits for soil health and risks from contaminant introduction. The discussion is relevant to microplastic research because many organic amendments are known vectors for microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.

2018 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecologically different earthworm species are the driving force of microbial hotspots influencing Pb uptake by the leafy vegetable Brassica campestris

This paper is not about microplastics — it studies how two species of earthworms influence soil microbial activity and lead uptake by leafy vegetables at different levels of soil lead contamination, addressing food safety concerns related to heavy metal pollution.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the interactions between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soil solution: adsorption performance influenced by microplastic types

Environmental-simulating microplastics (aged under environmental conditions) showed higher cadmium and chromium adsorption capacity than commercial microplastics in agricultural soil solutions, with surface oxidation increasing adsorption—suggesting that aged microplastics are more effective co-transporters of heavy metals in contaminated agricultural soils.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review on Microplastic in the Soils and Their Impact on Soil Microbes, Crops and Humans

This review examines microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, detailing how microplastic particles act as vectors for toxic organic pollutants and heavy metals, disrupting soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, crop growth, and ultimately entering the human food chain.

2022 International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Potentially toxic metals in irrigation water, soil, and vegetables and their health risks using Monte Carlo models

Researchers measured toxic metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead in irrigation water, soil, and vegetables in Nigeria, finding levels that exceeded safety guidelines in all cases. The toxic metals accumulated in commonly eaten vegetables like spinach and cabbage, posing cancer and non-cancer health risks to adults and children. While focused on heavy metals, this research is relevant to microplastics because microplastics in agricultural soil can absorb and transport these same toxic metals into crops.

2023 Scientific Reports 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Employing Phytoremediation Methods to Extract Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils

This paper is not directly about microplastics in the typical environmental exposure sense; it studies phytoremediation — using the Dodonaea plant to absorb heavy metals (zinc, nickel, cadmium) from contaminated soil — with no connection to plastic or microplastic pollution.

2024 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources, effects and present perspectives of heavy metals contamination: soil, plants and human food chain

This review summarizes how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic contaminate soil, get absorbed by crops, and enter the human food chain. Heavy metals at high levels can damage plant growth and accumulate in food at concentrations unsafe for human consumption. This is relevant to microplastics research because microplastics in soil can bind and transport heavy metals, potentially increasing the amount that ends up in the food we eat.

2023 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in agricultural soils from mulch films and organic amendments: Transformation mechanism, soil-Biota toxicity, and future perspectives

This review examines how agricultural soils are becoming increasingly contaminated with microplastics from plastic mulch films and organic amendments like compost, with land-based contamination being 4 to 23 times higher than in water. Microplastics in farmland can harm soil organisms, disrupt soil structure, and enter the food chain through crops, posing potential risks to human health.

2025 Waste Management 11 citations
Article Tier 2

How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar

This comprehensive review synthesizes 20 years of research on biochar, a charcoal-like material made from organic waste that can improve soil health and reduce pollution. Biochar can reduce plant uptake of heavy metals by 17-39% and increase nutrient availability, making it potentially useful for cleaning up microplastic-contaminated soils. While not directly about microplastics, the findings are relevant because biochar could help mitigate the effects of soil pollutants that microplastics carry and concentrate.

2021 GCB Bioenergy 872 citations
Article Tier 2

Vegetation establishment in soils polluted by heavy metal(loid)s after assisted natural remediation

This field study evaluated soil remediation techniques at a mining spill site in Spain, finding that amendments made from recycled materials successfully reduced toxic metal availability and encouraged natural vegetation regrowth. While not about microplastics, the research demonstrates approaches for cleaning up contaminated soil that could also address microplastic pollution in agricultural land. The success of using waste-derived materials for soil restoration offers a model for sustainable approaches to multiple types of soil contamination.

2024 Plant and Soil 14 citations