Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of metal-based nanoparticles: Challenges in the nano era

This review covers the toxic effects of metal-based nanoparticles on human health, including how they cause oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and organ dysfunction. While focused on engineered nanoparticles rather than microplastics directly, the toxicity pathways described overlap significantly with those triggered by nanoplastic exposure. Understanding these shared mechanisms helps explain how nano-scale particles of any kind, including nanoplastics, may harm the body.

2022 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 286 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential risk assessment and toxicological impacts of nano/micro-plastics on human health through food products

This review examined the potential risks and toxicological effects of nano- and microplastics on human health through food products, identifying key contamination sources in the food chain and their harmful impacts on the body.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 12 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review on the effects of nanomaterials on gut microbiota

This systematic review of 68 studies found moderate evidence that zinc-based, copper-based, and silver nanomaterials cause gut microbiota dysbiosis, while titanium dioxide nanoparticles showed variable effects depending on crystal form and dose. The gut microbiome's response to nanomaterials depended heavily on particle composition, size, dose, and exposure duration. These findings are directly relevant to microplastic research, as ingested micro- and nanoplastics similarly interact with gut bacteria and may alter the microbiome composition that influences immune function and overall health.

2022 Current Research in Microbial Sciences 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoparticles in food: formation during cooking, migration from packaging, and nanoplastics release—food safety implications

This review examines how nanoparticles form in food during cooking, migrate from packaging materials, and are released as nanoplastics during food preparation. Researchers found that high-temperature cooking generates fluorescent carbon nanoparticles, while nanosilver transfers from packaging into food at rates that increase with temperature and storage time. The study highlights the need for standardized methods and long-term exposure research to fully understand the health implications of nanoparticles in our food supply.

2025 Food Additives & Contaminants Part A 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and nanoplastic transfer, accumulation, and toxicity in humans

Researchers reviewed human exposure routes to micro- and nanoplastics — via air, water, and food — and summarized reported toxicological outcomes, identifying ingestion and inhalation as primary entry points and flagging oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption as key health concerns warranting further study.

2021 Current Opinion in Toxicology 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Is There Evidence of Health Risks From Exposure to Micro- and Nanoplastics in Foods?

This review examines the evidence for health risks from micro- and nanoplastic exposure through food, noting that plastic particles can carry physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The study suggests that ingested plastics could contribute to inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses, and may even influence food allergy development by altering gut permeability and intestinal microbiome balance.

2022 Frontiers in Nutrition 40 citations
Review Tier 2

A review on microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment: Their occurrence, exposure routes, toxic studies, and potential effects on human health

This review summarizes what is known about how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and what they do once inside. Studies on cells and animals show these tiny particles can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and harm to the immune, digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems. The research makes clear that microplastics are not just an environmental problem but a direct concern for human health.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 379 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Drinking Water and Food: a Threat to Human Health

This study reviews the primary exposure pathways through which microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body—via drinking water, food, air, and household sources—and examines their toxic mechanisms across the digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive, and immune systems.

2025 Матеріали міжнародної науково-практиченої конференції Екологія Людина Суспільство
Article Tier 2

Potential health risks of nanomaterials in food: a methodology to identify signals and prioritise risks

This Dutch report assessed the potential health risks of nanomaterials in food, evaluating existing methods for detecting and evaluating the safety of engineered nanoparticles. As nanoplastics increasingly enter the food supply through packaging and environmental contamination, frameworks for their risk assessment become critical.

2019 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nano-plastic contamination in foods and potential risk to human health

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about micro- and nanoplastic contamination in food, covering sources, occurrence, and analytical detection methods. Researchers found that while various foods, especially seafood, contain measurable levels of microplastics, the health risks to humans remain difficult to assess due to inconsistent research methods. The study calls for standardized approaches to better evaluate dietary exposure and potential health impacts.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic Effect of Food-Borne Microplastics on Human Health

This review compiles evidence that people ingest thousands of microplastic particles annually through everyday foods including drinking water, salt, fish, tea, and milk, and that these particles can cause cytotoxicity, inflammation, hormone disruption, and even neurotoxicity in experimental models. Microplastics can cross the gut lining and enter the circulatory system, potentially affecting organs throughout the body. The paper serves as a comprehensive summary of the known and suspected human health risks from food-borne microplastic exposure.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Health Impact of Environmentally Released Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Human Food Production Chain: Experiences from Nanotoxicology

This review assesses the potential for micro- and nanoplastics to enter the human food chain, drawing on evidence from studies of food production and related biological systems. Researchers found that while larger microplastics are unlikely to be absorbed by the human body, nanoplastics may be small enough to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. The study highlights that much remains unknown about real-world human exposure levels and calls for more research into the health implications of these tiny particles in food.

2015 Environmental Science & Technology 1211 citations
Article Tier 2

Adverse Outcome Phenomena and Toxicity Mechanisms of Micro and Nanoplastics in Human Health

This review examines the growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can enter the human body through food, water, and air, and may contribute to harmful biological effects. Researchers found that these tiny particles can trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of hormonal and immune systems in laboratory studies. The study highlights the need for a unified research approach to better understand how microplastic exposure may affect long-term human health.

2024 Nano LIFE 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in food: scoping review on health effects, occurrence, and human exposure

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic occurrence in a broad range of food types beyond fish and shellfish, estimated human dietary exposure, and potential health effects including toxicity from particles themselves, leached monomers, chemical additives, and co-contaminants, identifying major research gaps in non-marine food categories.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Assessing toxicological risk of nanoplastics contaminants in food and feed from ingestion pathway to human diseases

This review examines how nanoplastics, which are tiny fragments smaller than 0.1 micrometers, enter the human food chain and may pose health risks. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics can cross biological membranes more easily than larger microplastics, potentially reaching organs and accumulating over time. The study highlights the need for better detection methods and risk assessments to understand the long-term health implications of nanoplastic ingestion through food and beverages.

2025 F1000Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in our diet: A growing concern for human health

Microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters are entering our food through drinking water, salt, seafood, packaged food, and even alcoholic beverages. Once consumed, these particles have been detected in human blood, feces, breast milk, liver, and other tissues, showing they can accumulate throughout the body. Emerging evidence links microplastic exposure to inflammation, oxidative stress, gut problems, brain effects, reproductive harm, and cardiovascular risks.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, migration path and pollution of microplastics and nano-plastics in food

This review traced the sources, migration pathways, and food contamination status of microplastics and nanoplastics, covering their entry into food chains through packaging, processing, environmental pollution, and water sources—and discussing potential accumulation in the human body and associated health risks.

2025 Advances in Food Science and Human Nutrition
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in food, water, and beverages; part I. occurrence

Researchers reviewed what is currently known about the presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, water, and beverages, concluding that while contamination has been detected across many products, a lack of standardized detection methods makes it difficult to fully assess the food safety risks to human health.

2022 TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nano-plastics Contamination in Foods: Current Understanding of the Health Impact on Human and Potential Solutions

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through food sources including fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables, bottled water, salt, and honey. Researchers summarize evidence indicating that these tiny particles can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut bacteria once inside the body. The study calls for more research into long-term health effects and the development of solutions to reduce plastic contamination in the food supply.

2024 European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Persistence, toxicity, and risk assessment of toxic compounds in food: implications for food safety and public health

This review provides a comprehensive overview of toxic chemical contaminants in the food system, including microplastics, nanoplastics, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and processing byproducts like acrylamide and bisphenol A. Researchers examined how these compounds are absorbed, distributed, and metabolized in the body, as well as their effects on various organs. The study also highlights advances in detection technology, including nanotechnology-based biosensors and artificial intelligence tools for food safety monitoring.

2025 Exploration of Foods and Foodomics 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects

This review summarizes existing research on how microplastics are found throughout the environment and in human samples, entering the body through food, air, and skin contact. Lab studies in cells and animals show microplastics can cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, immune reactions, brain toxicity, and reproductive harm, and early human health data links microplastic exposure to several chronic diseases.

2023 Environment & Health 519 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Micro and Nanoplastics in Modern Food Chain: an Inevitable Intervention

This review examines the growing presence of microplastics and nanoplastics throughout the modern food chain, summarizing known entry points, concentrations in food commodities, and potential health consequences of regular human dietary exposure.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Food

This review summarized the current evidence on microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in food, covering their sources, analytical detection methods, and potential health implications for consumers. The paper highlighted the rapid growth in food contamination data and the ongoing uncertainties about human dietary exposure levels and health risks.

2024 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review on the Impact of Micro-Nanoplastics Exposure on Human Health and Diseases

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how micro and nanoplastic exposure affects human health and may contribute to disease. The evidence suggests that these tiny particles can enter the body through food, water, air, and even cosmetics, potentially causing inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions to the immune and reproductive systems.

2022 Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 18 citations