Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

pH-Responsive leaching profiles from photodegradation of microplastics

Researchers systematically examined how UV photodegradation of microplastics triggers pH-dependent release of chemical additives, non-intentionally added substances, and oligomers under controlled degradation conditions, characterising leaching profiles across a range of plastic polymer types. The study identified that pH strongly governs which hazardous compounds leach from degrading plastics and at what concentrations, revealing a mechanism by which environmental conditions modulate chemical risk from microplastic pollution.

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

Release of additives and non-intentionally added substances from microplastics under environmentally relevant conditions

Researchers measured how chemical additives leach out of different types of microplastics under realistic environmental conditions and found wildly different release rates — spanning five orders of magnitude over 64 days — highlighting that the type of plastic matters greatly when assessing the chemical risks microplastics pose to ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Advances 60 citations
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in the environment: Systematic studies to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics induced by photolysis and hydrolysis

Researchers conducted systematic studies on the photolytic and hydrolytic degradation of microplastics using three photolysis protocols and multiple polymer types to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics, providing mechanistic data needed for environmental fate and risk assessment.

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

The fate of microplastics in the environment: Systematic studies to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics induced by photolysis and hydrolysis

Researchers conducted systematic studies on the photolytic and hydrolytic degradation of microplastics using three photolysis protocols and multiple polymer types to determine release rates of secondary micro- and nanoplastics and water-soluble organics, providing mechanistic data needed for environmental fate and risk assessment.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Organotin Release from Polyvinyl Chloride Microplastics and Concurrent Photodegradation in Water: Impacts from Salinity, Dissolved Organic Matter, and Light Exposure

Researchers studied how organotin compounds leach from polyvinyl chloride microplastics under different light and water conditions. They found that UV and visible light exposure accelerated the release of certain organotin additives while simultaneously degrading others through photochemical reactions. The study demonstrates that environmental factors like salinity and dissolved organic matter significantly influence the rate at which microplastics release potentially harmful chemical additives into water.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 195 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological assessment of microplastics in limnic systems with emphasis on chemicals released by weathering

This study examined both the physical and chemical toxicity of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems, with special focus on chemicals released when plastics are weathered by ultraviolet light. The research tested conventional and biodegradable plastics, addressing whether particle properties or leaching chemicals drive ecotoxicological effects.

2022
Article Tier 2

Leaching of microplastic-associated additives in aquatic environments: A critical review

This review examined how microplastic-associated chemical additives leach into aquatic environments, summarizing recent advances in understanding release kinetics, phase equilibrium between microplastics and water, and the environmental and health risks posed by organic additives and heavy metals.

2022 Environmental Pollution 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the impact of simulated ocean acidification on the photodegradation of selected microplastics

This study assessed how simulated ocean acidification conditions affect the photodegradation rate and products of plastic polymers, finding that lower pH accelerates surface oxidation and may alter the toxicity of plastic degradation leachates.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics release precursors of chlorinated and brominated disinfection byproducts in water

Researchers investigated whether microplastics leach chemical additives that serve as precursors for chlorinated and brominated disinfection byproducts when exposed to hydrolysis and simulated sunlight, testing seventeen microplastics across seven polymer types and finding that this previously unrecognized pathway poses potential risks to drinking water quality.

2020 Chemosphere 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradationof Plastic Leachate: Revealing theKey Role of Halogen in Reduced Cytotoxicity in Marine Systems

This study revealed that halogen ions in aquatic environments accelerate photodegradation of sunscreen-derived microplastic leachate and reduce its cytotoxicity, suggesting that the chemical environment in which plastic weathers strongly influences the biological hazard of resulting degradation products.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Emerging investigator series: microplastic-based leachate formation under UV irradiation: the extent, characteristics, and mechanisms

Six common microplastic types were exposed to UV irradiation to characterize surface changes and leachate chemical profiles, finding that UV treatment generated oxidized surface groups and released diverse organic compounds. Leachate composition varied by polymer type, highlighting the role of weathering in generating secondary chemical pollution from microplastics.

2022 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradation of Plastic Leachate: Revealing the Key Role of Halogen in Reduced Cytotoxicity in Marine Systems

Researchers studied the cytotoxicity of chemical leachate from sunscreen-derived microplastics as they degrade in freshwater versus seawater environments. They found that microplastic photodegradation was reduced in seawater because halogen ions, particularly bromide, suppressed the reactive oxygen species that drive degradation. The study reveals that halogens play a key role in reducing the toxicity of microplastic leachates in marine systems, suggesting that ocean chemistry may naturally limit some harmful effects of degrading plastics.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics release a range of substances into the surrounding water

Researchers monitored the leaching of chemical substances from microplastics into surrounding water over time, quantifying what compounds are released under aquatic conditions. The study found that microplastics continuously release a range of substances, adding to their environmental hazard beyond physical particle effects.

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

Leaching kinetics and bioaccumulation potential of additive-derived organophosphate esters in microplastics

Researchers studied the leaching kinetics of organophosphate ester additives from microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that these flame retardants and plasticizers are released at rates that depend on temperature and water chemistry, with implications for bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

UV weathering alters toxicity and chemical composition of consumer plastic leachates

Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the toxicity and chemical makeup of leachates from eight types of consumer plastic products. They found that UV exposure increased cytotoxicity up to 13-fold, particularly for polyethylene leachates, and enhanced reactive toxicity by up to 82%. The increased toxicity was primarily linked to the release and transformation of organic chemicals rather than the microplastic particles themselves, highlighting UV weathering as a critical driver of plastic pollution hazards.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaching behavior and toxic effect of plastic additives as influenced by aging process of microplastics

This review examined how environmental aging processes affect the leaching behavior and toxicity of plastic additives from microplastics. Researchers found that UV exposure, weathering, and biological degradation alter the physicochemical properties of microplastics, increasing the release of harmful chemical additives and potentially amplifying their toxic effects on organisms in the environment.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Plastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Metal leaching accompanied with natural photo-aging behavior of e-waste plastic derived microplastics in aquatic environment

Researchers studied how microplastics derived from electronic waste release metals into water as they age under sunlight over 112 days. They found that the aging process significantly increased the leaching of harmful metals from these e-waste plastics. The findings highlight a previously underappreciated pathway by which electronic waste contributes to water pollution through the gradual release of toxic metal additives from degrading plastic particles.

2024 Journal of Environmental Sciences 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradationof Plastic Leachate: Revealing theKey Role of Halogen in Reduced Cytotoxicity in Marine Systems

Researchers examined how photodegradation of sunscreen-derived microplastics affects the cytotoxicity of their leachate in different aquatic environments, finding that halogens present in saltwater played a key role in reducing leachate toxicity compared to freshwater photodegradation conditions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Elucidating the characteristic of leachates released from microplastics under different aging conditions: Perspectives of dissolved organic carbon fingerprints and nano-plastics

Researchers investigated how different aging conditions affect the release of dissolved organic carbon and nanoplastics from PVC and polystyrene microplastics over 130 days. The study found that UV aging and high temperatures promoted the release of nanoplastics and altered the chemical characteristics of leached substances, with UV-aged treatments producing smaller, rougher nanoparticles that may pose greater ecological risks.

2023 Water Research 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of organic additives on spectroscopic and molecular-level features of photo-induced dissolved organic matter from microplastics

Researchers studied how UV sunlight causes microplastics to release dissolved organic matter, and how chemical additives in commercial plastics affect this process. They found that commercial plastics with additives released significantly more organic compounds under UV light than pure polymer particles. The study suggests that as everyday plastic products break down in the environment, their built-in additives may amplify the release of potentially harmful dissolved chemicals into surrounding water.

2023 Water Research 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of microplastics in the natural environment: A comprehensive review on process, mechanism, influencing factor and leaching behavior

This review examines how microplastics break down in the environment through physical, chemical, and biological processes, and what happens as they degrade. As microplastics age and fragment, they release chemical additives and dissolved organic matter that can be toxic, meaning degrading plastics may actually become more harmful to ecosystems and human health over time.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic additives and microplastics as emerging contaminants: Mechanisms and analytical assessment

Researchers reviewed how chemical additives mixed into plastics during manufacturing — including stabilizers, flame retardants, and plasticizers — can leach out throughout a plastic's lifecycle and pose risks to ecosystems and human health, with microplastics acting as carriers that concentrate and transport these hazardous chemicals.

2022 TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 194 citations
Article Tier 2

Contaminant release from aged microplastic

Researchers exposed recycled plastic granules of polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene to simulated aging conditions including UV radiation and high temperatures. They found that aging significantly increased the rate at which chemical additives leached from the plastic particles into water, with UV exposure having the greatest effect. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals at much higher rates than fresh plastic materials.

2017 Environmental Chemistry 285 citations