Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic intake via poultry products: Environmental toxicity and human health

This review examines how microplastics enter the human diet through poultry products like chicken meat and eggs. Microplastics from contaminated feed, water, and farm environments accumulate in poultry tissues and are then passed to consumers. The study highlights that this food chain transfer represents an underappreciated pathway of human exposure, with potential risks including inflammation, gut disruption, and accumulation of toxic chemicals carried by the plastic particles.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Harmful impacts of microplastic pollution on poultry and biodegradation techniques using microorganisms for consumer health protection: A review

This review examines how microplastic pollution affects poultry health and food safety, finding that microplastics have been detected in chicken meat from supermarkets and open markets. Evidence indicates that microplastics can damage vital organs in poultry, reduce egg production, and accumulate in edible tissues. The authors also review biodegradation techniques using microorganisms as a potential strategy for reducing microplastic contamination in the food supply.

2024 Poultry Science 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Farmed Animals—A Review

This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in farmed animals including fish, cattle, and poultry, finding that microplastics have been detected in their intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive organs. The particles disrupt gut bacteria, cause tissue damage, and carry toxic chemicals and pathogens. Since these animals are raised for human consumption, microplastics in livestock represent a direct pathway for plastic contamination to reach people through their diet.

2024 Microplastics 19 citations
Review Tier 2

The sources and impact of microplastic intake on livestock and poultry performance and meat products: a review

This review examined how microplastics affect livestock and poultry health, productivity, and the safety of meat products. Researchers found that while lab experiments show microplastics can cause oxidative stress and inflammation at high concentrations, it remains unclear whether typical environmental exposure levels affect animal welfare or productivity. Microplastics were detected in animal tissues at levels that raise potential consumer safety concerns, though current detection methods are prone to contamination.

2025 Animal Production Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

First Report on Microplastics Quantification in Poultry Chicken and Potential Human Health Risks in Pakistan

Researchers in Pakistan found microplastics in the crops and gizzards of poultry chickens from eight different farms, identifying over 1,200 particles across 24 samples. Fibers were the most common type, likely coming from plastic feed bags and the farm environment. Since chicken is a major protein source, this study reveals another pathway through which microplastics may enter the human diet.

2023 Toxics 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Animal Health and Nutrition

This review summarizes the current understanding of how microplastic ingestion affects animal health across multiple species including livestock, poultry, and aquatic organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut function in animals, with smaller particles posing greater risks due to their ability to cross biological barriers. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in feed and water sources is an emerging concern for animal agriculture and nutrition.

2024 Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Animal Health and Nutrition Year 2024, Volume: 21 Issue: 2, 72 - 77, 02.08.2024

This review examined the effects of microplastics on animal health and nutrition, summarizing experimental evidence across livestock, poultry, and aquaculture species and identifying pathways by which dietary plastic exposure affects growth and feed efficiency.

2024 Erciyes University - AVESIS
Article Tier 2

Quail Meat Under Threat: Hidden Microplastics Pose Risks to Public Health and Environment

Researchers analyzed tissues and organs of quails that had died naturally and found microplastics in the form of filaments, fragments, and films throughout the digestive system and edible meat. Polyethylene and polyvinyl stearate were the most commonly detected polymer types, with the highest concentrations found in intestinal contents. The presence of microplastics in breast and leg meat raises concerns about human dietary exposure through poultry consumption.

2024 Veterinary Journal of Kastamonu University 2 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of polyethylene microplastics exposure on the, growth performance, reproductive performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal microbiota of quails

Researchers fed quails different levels of polyethylene microplastics and found that exposure harmed their growth, reproduction, and gut health. The microplastics reduced antioxidant defenses and disrupted the balance of beneficial bacteria in the birds' intestines. Since poultry is a major food source for people, microplastic contamination in farm animals raises concerns about indirect human exposure through the food chain.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in animal nutrition: Occurrence, spread, and hazard in animals

Researchers reviewed how microplastics — tiny plastic particles less than 5mm — move through the food chain and enter animals via contaminated food, water, and prey, potentially disrupting gut health, nutrient absorption, and hormonal function across fish, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. Because these effects can pass up the food chain, the review warns of human health risks from eating animal products contaminated with microplastics.

2024 Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-nanoplastics in livestock and poultry: Emerging components of food matrices

This review compiles evidence on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in livestock and poultry meat from 146 studies spanning 2015 to 2025. Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in food animals can reduce growth performance, alter meat quality, and impair reproductive function. The study highlights the need for standardized detection methods to enable reliable exposure assessments for consumers of animal-derived foods.

2026 Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Livestock: Sources, Exposure Pathways, and Physiological Consequences

This review examined how microplastics enter livestock systems through contaminated soil, water, and feed, and assessed the resulting risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. The review highlights that livestock exposure pathways are numerous and that microplastic contamination of the food chain is a growing concern.

2024 Journal Of Advanced Zoology
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal toxicity in poultry: a comprehensive review

This review covers how toxic heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury accumulate in poultry through contaminated water, feed, and soil near industrial areas. These metals cause organ damage, reduced egg production, and immune suppression in birds, and can transfer to humans through meat and eggs. The research is relevant to microplastic pollution because microplastics are known to adsorb and transport heavy metals through the food chain.

2023 Frontiers in Veterinary Science 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination in Commercial Poultry Feed and Edible Chicken Tissues: An Emerging Environmental Concer

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in commercial poultry feed and edible chicken tissues from farms near Rajshahi City, Bangladesh, finding microplastics in all samples tested. Feed samples contained an average of 18.7 microplastic particles per gram, while chicken meat averaged 0.95 particles per gram, with fibers being the dominant shape. The study raises concerns about the transfer of microplastics from feed to edible poultry tissues as a pathway for human dietary exposure.

2026 Journal of Chemistry and Environment
Article Tier 2

Gut dysbiosis: Nutritional causes and risk prevention in poultry, with reference to other animals

This review examines the causes and consequences of gut dysbiosis in poultry and other animals, identifying microplastics as one of several environmental pollutants that can disrupt gastrointestinal microbial communities. Researchers describe how reduced microbial diversity leads to inflammation, compromised gut barriers, and disorders affecting multiple organ systems. The study highlights that microplastics, along with heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants, contribute to the growing challenge of maintaining healthy gut microbiomes in animal populations.

2025 South African Journal of Animal Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Vědecký článek Jimp1

This review summarized current knowledge about microplastics in animal nutrition, covering their occurrence in feed ingredients and water, routes of exposure in livestock and poultry, and potential physiological and metabolic effects on animal health.

2025 Open MIND
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastics in typical poultry farms and the association of environment microplastics colonized-microbiota, waterfowl gut microbiota, and antibiotic resistance genes

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in poultry farm environments and in the intestines of farm-raised waterfowl for the first time. They found microplastics in soil, pond water, and bird guts, with the plastic surfaces hosting microbial communities that carried antibiotic resistance genes. This raises dual concerns: microplastics may both contaminate poultry meat that humans eat and help spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria through farming environments.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Pathways and Veterinary Health Implications of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Emerging Contaminants from a One Health Perspective

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter animal-based food products including milk, poultry meat, and eggs, and what this means for both veterinary and human health from a One Health perspective. Researchers found that these particles have been documented in various livestock products, but significant gaps remain in understanding contamination from raw, unprocessed sources. The study emphasizes the need for standardized detection methods and farm-to-fork monitoring to identify real contamination sources and develop effective control strategies.

2026 Veterinary Sciences
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in human food chains: Food becoming a threat to health safety

This review traces how microplastics enter the human food chain through both animal and plant sources, food packaging, and beverages. Once consumed, microplastics can accumulate in tissues and release harmful chemicals like plasticizers and heavy metals inside the body. The study emphasizes that food has become a major exposure pathway for microplastics and calls for stricter regulation of plastic use in food production and packaging.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 542 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and ecological impact of microplastics in aquaculture ecosystems

This review examines microplastic contamination specifically within aquaculture systems, which are an increasingly important source of protein for human diets worldwide. Researchers found that aquaculture environments accumulate microplastics from external sources like land-based waste and shipping, as well as from the plastic gear, equipment, and feed used in farming operations. The study raises concerns about food safety, as microplastics in farmed seafood represent a direct pathway of human exposure.

2021 Chemosphere 245 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics in Livestock Production: A Challenge for Animal Health and Sustainability

This review examines microplastic contamination in livestock production systems, summarizing evidence of microplastic presence in feed, water, and animal tissues, and discussing implications for animal health, food safety, and sustainability.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Human Food Chain: Exposure and Health Implications

This review documents how microplastics have permeated the human food chain and are now detected in human tissues including lungs, liver, placenta, and breast milk, examining exposure routes through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact and the potential health consequences of this ubiquitous contamination.

2025 Norsk tidsskrift for ernæring
Article Tier 2

Connecting the Dots: Livestock Animals as Missing Links in the Chain of Microplastic Contamination and Human Health

This review highlights that farm animals are a missing link in understanding how microplastics move from contaminated soil and plants into the human food supply. Livestock can accumulate inhaled and ingested plastic particles, which may then transfer to people through meat, milk, and eggs. The authors call for standardized methods to measure microplastics in animal products to better understand this exposure pathway.

2024 Animals 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic exposure induces muscle growth but reduces meat quality and muscle physiological function in chickens

Researchers found microplastic contamination in chicken muscle tissue from a commercial farm and showed that feeding chickens polystyrene microplastics caused the plastics to accumulate in their muscles over time. While the contaminated chickens grew larger muscles, their meat quality and muscle function decreased. This study is important because it demonstrates that microplastics can build up in poultry meat, meaning people may be consuming microplastics through chicken.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 62 citations