Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Detection of nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue

Researchers detected nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue samples using sensitive analytical techniques, confirming particle accumulation in organs beyond the gastrointestinal tract. The findings demonstrate that small plastic particles can translocate from the gut to systemic tissues.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Morphological and chemical characterization of nanoplastics in human tissue

Researchers developed methods to visualize and chemically characterize nanoplastics that have accumulated in human tissue samples. They were able to identify plastic particles smaller than one micrometer within tissue using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The study provides some of the first direct evidence of nanoscale plastic accumulation in the human body, which is essential for designing future health effects research.

2025 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on the Human Body and Methods of Detection

This review summarized how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact, and outlined current detection methods used to identify them in biological samples. The authors found that while evidence of tissue accumulation is growing, health effect thresholds and standardized exposure metrics are still lacking.

2025 Korea Industrial Technology Convergence Society
Article Tier 2

Methods for the detection of microplastics in mammals

Scientists now detect microplastics in human blood, lungs, placentas, and other tissues, but the field still lacks a single gold-standard method for measuring them. This review compares the strengths and limitations of current detection techniques — including spectroscopy, microscopy, and chemical digestion — to help standardize how microplastics in the human body are quantified, which is a prerequisite for accurately assessing health risks.

2023 Theoretical and Natural Science
Article Tier 2

A critical viewpoint on current issues, limitations, and future research needs on micro- and nanoplastic studies: From the detection to the toxicological assessment.

This critical review examines the current methods for detecting and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental samples, as well as reported toxic effects from in vivo and in vitro studies. The authors found that while substantial effort has been made to understand microplastic behavior, the scientific community is still far from a complete understanding of how these particles behave in biological systems. The review calls for improved standardized protocols and more studies focused on uptake kinetics, accumulation, and biodistribution.

2019 Environmental Research 163 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in human tissues: Systematic review of evidence, analytical protocols, and methodological challenges

This systematic review pulls together evidence on microplastics and nanoplastics found in human tissues like lungs, liver, and placenta. It confirms that tiny plastic particles are accumulating in our bodies, though detection methods still vary widely between studies, making it hard to compare results.

2026 Talanta Open
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics, an emerging health problem

This review frames micro- and nanoplastics as an emerging human health problem, synthesizing evidence of exposure routes, organ-level accumulation, and biological effects, and calling for updated regulatory frameworks to address this novel class of environmental contaminants.

2025 Environmental Research and Ecotoxicity
Article Tier 2

Detection of microplastics in human tissues and organs: A scoping review

This scoping review summarizes studies that have detected microplastics in various human tissues and organs. The review found that microplastics enter the body through multiple routes and have distinct characteristics depending on where they accumulate. The variety of analytical techniques used across studies makes direct comparisons difficult, highlighting the need for standardized methods.

2024 Journal of Global Health 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection and Fate of Microplastics and Nanoplastics and Technologies for Their Removal

This review covers the detection, environmental fate, and removal technologies for microplastics and nanoplastics across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric ecosystems. Researchers summarize the current understanding of how these particles are distributed in environmental matrices and biota, from marine organisms to human tissues. The study highlights both the scale of the contamination problem and the emerging technologies being developed to address it.

2026 Molecules
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of the Toxicokinetics of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals Following Digestive Exposure

This systematic review summarizes existing research on what happens to micro and nanoplastics after mammals ingest them through food and water. The evidence shows these particles can survive digestion and potentially cross into tissues and organs, raising important questions about long-term health effects from the microplastics we unknowingly consume every day.

2025 Applied Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure and Health Effects of Microplastics in Humans

This doctoral thesis investigates exposure levels and health effects of microplastics in humans, synthesizing analytical chemistry and toxicological evidence on microplastic presence in human tissues and their potential biological impacts.

2025 Dipòsit Digital de la Universitat de Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona)
Article Tier 2

Potential adverse health effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics on humans. Lessons learned from in vivo and in vitro mammalian models

This review compiles recent studies on the effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics using mammalian in vivo and in vitro models to assess potential human health implications. The authors found that while substantial research effort has been made, significant gaps remain in understanding absorption, biodistribution, and toxicity of these particles in mammalian systems. The review provides recommendations for improved testing methods to generate more relevant and targeted data for human risk assessment.

2019 Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part B 272 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and nano-plastics, a threat to human health?

This review examines the threat micro- and nanoplastics pose to human health, discussing how these persistent particles accumulate in organs including lungs, the gastrointestinal system, and blood, and how their chemical composition and size influence toxicity.

2022 PubMed 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nanoplastics in Terrestrial Mammals: Current Knowledge and Research Gaps

This review compiled current evidence on microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in wild and domestic terrestrial mammals, identifying ingestion and inhalation as the main exposure routes. The authors found consistent evidence of MNP accumulation in mammalian tissues but highlight large gaps in long-term health impact data.

2025 Detritus
Article Tier 2

Post-mortem evidence of microplastic bioaccumulation in human organs: insights from advanced imaging and spectroscopic analysis

Researchers examined tissue samples from deceased individuals and found microplastics in the brain, liver, thyroid, kidney, heart, muscle, and lungs, with the thyroid, kidney, and brain showing the highest contamination at up to 40 particles per gram of tissue. Nanoscale plastic particles smaller than 0.02 micrometers were also detected, indicating that the tiniest plastics can cross biological barriers and accumulate deep in human organs.

2025 Archives of Toxicology 18 citations
Article Tier 2

New universal approach for microplastics detection in tissues retains histology and reveals unprecedented quantities in placental samples

Researchers developed a new universal method for detecting micro- and nanoplastics in tissue samples that preserves tissue histology, allowing simultaneous plastic detection and morphological analysis of the same sample to better characterize MP tissue distribution and pathological effects.

2025
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Systemic Accumulation and Distribution of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Human Tissues and Their Impact on Health: A Systematic Review

This systematic review synthesizes human evidence on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in body tissues and fluids, including blood, lungs, placenta, breast milk, and liver. The research confirms that plastic particles can cross biological barriers and accumulate in multiple organ systems. While the long-term health effects are still being studied, the widespread presence of plastics inside the human body raises significant health concerns.

2026 Open Science Framework
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: challenges of assessment in biological samples and their implication for in vitro and in vivo effects

This review examines the challenges of detecting and assessing microplastics in biological samples, noting that analytical limitations and lack of standardized methods hinder our understanding of health effects. The study highlights that humans are exposed to microplastics primarily through ingestion and inhalation, and that more long-term studies with standardized protocols are needed to understand the full scope of potential biological impacts.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Human Tissues: Sources, Distribution, Toxicological Effects, and Health Implications

Researchers reviewed the growing body of evidence that microplastics accumulate in human tissues — including lung, blood, placenta, breast milk, and heart tissue — where they can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. The review highlights urgent knowledge gaps around how plastic particles move through the body and what their long-term health effects may be.

2025 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of the impacts of exposure to micro- and nano-plastics on human tissue accumulation and health

This systematic review found growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in human tissues including lungs, gut, and blood, with lab studies showing potential disruption to immune, reproductive, endocrine, and nervous systems. The review identifies ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact as the three main exposure routes and highlights that the smallest nanoplastic particles pose the greatest concern due to their ability to cross biological barriers.

2023 Eco-Environment & Health 180 citations