Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Potential synergistic effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cadmium toxicity to Sedum alfredii Hance

**TLDR:** Scientists found that tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) make the toxic metal cadmium even more dangerous when both pollutants are present in soil together. Plants exposed to both nanoplastics and cadmium absorbed much more of the poisonous cadmium than plants exposed to cadmium alone. This matters because these pollutants are increasingly common in our environment, and if plants take up more toxins, they could end up in our food supply.

2026 PLoS ONE
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Cadmium on the Metabolic Processes and Their Accumulation in Hydroponically Grown Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

When lettuce was grown with both nanoplastics and the toxic metal cadmium, the plants absorbed 61-67% more of both contaminants compared to exposure to either one alone. The combined pollution triggered a stronger stress response in the plants and changed how they grew. This is concerning for human health because it means nanoplastics in agricultural soil could significantly increase the amount of toxic heavy metals that end up in salad greens and other food crops.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Insights into the Effects of Aged Polystyrene Nanoplastics on the Toxicity of Cadmium to Triticum Aestivum

This study examined how aged polystyrene nanoplastics interact with the heavy metal cadmium to affect wheat plants. Researchers found that the aging process increases the nanoplastics' ability to absorb cadmium, which can alter how the metal is taken up by crops, raising questions about combined contaminant exposure through the food supply.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Antagonistic effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cadmium toxicity to maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied the combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and cadmium on maize plants and found that nanoplastics actually reduced cadmium toxicity. The study suggests that nanoplastics can adsorb cadmium and limit its uptake by plant roots, though both contaminants individually reduced plant growth and triggered oxidative stress responses.

2022 Chemosphere 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Do polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of cadmium to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)?

Researchers investigated whether polystyrene nanoplastics affect the toxicity of cadmium to wheat plants. The study found that nanoplastics could alter how cadmium interacts with wheat, potentially modifying the uptake and toxic effects of the heavy metal, suggesting that the co-occurrence of nanoplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils may create complex interactions affecting crop health.

2020 Environmental Pollution 266 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics on the growth, antioxidant content, ionome, and metabolism of dandelion seedlings

This study examined how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, and found that the combination worsened the toxic effects on dandelion seedlings beyond what either pollutant caused alone. The findings highlight that nanoplastics can change how heavy metals behave in the environment, potentially increasing the amount of toxic metals that enter the food chain through contaminated plants.

2024 Environmental Pollution 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Effectsof Polystyrene Nanoplastics andCadmium on the Metabolic Processes and Their Accumulation in HydroponicallyGrown Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Hydroponically grown lettuce co-exposed to cadmium and polystyrene nanoplastics accumulated 61% more cadmium and more nanoplastics than singly-exposed plants, with combined exposure causing greater oxidative stress and growth inhibition.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and Cd on submerged plants Ceratophyllum demersum L.

Researchers studied the combined effects of nanoplastics and cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, on the aquatic plant Ceratophyllum demersum. They found that nanoplastics worsened cadmium's harmful effects on plant growth, photosynthesis, and cellular health, reducing growth rates by over 35%. The study suggests that when nanoplastics and heavy metals co-occur in water, their combined impact on aquatic plants may be more severe than either pollutant alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing stress responses in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) exposed to a synergy of microplastics and cadmium: Insights from physiology, oxidative damage, and metabolomics

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that mustard green plants absorbed, while also reducing crop yields and photosynthesis. Higher concentrations of microplastics made more cadmium available in the soil, leading to greater accumulation of the metal in the plants. This raises food safety concerns because vegetables grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could contain higher levels of toxic metals that are harmful to human health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics enhanced the toxicity of cadmium to rice seedlings: Evidence from rice growth, physiology, and element metabolism

Polystyrene microplastics combined with cadmium -- a toxic heavy metal -- caused more damage to rice seedlings than either pollutant alone, reducing growth and disrupting the balance of essential nutrients. At higher concentrations, the microplastics significantly increased how much cadmium the plants absorbed into their above-ground parts. This matters for human health because rice is a staple food for billions of people, and microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher heavy metal levels in the food supply.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics increase cadmium absorption and impair nutrient uptake and growth in red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) in the presence of cadmium and biochar

This study tested how three common microplastic types affect a leafy vegetable (red amaranth) when combined with the toxic heavy metal cadmium. Polystyrene microplastics were especially harmful, increasing cadmium uptake by up to 158% while reducing the plant's ability to absorb essential nutrients like phosphorus and potassium -- meaning microplastics in farmland could make heavy metal contamination in food crops even worse.

2024 BMC Plant Biology 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Co-Contamination of Microplastics and Cd on Plant Growth and Cd Accumulation

Researchers investigated how two types of microplastics, high-density polyethylene and polystyrene, at various concentrations affect cadmium uptake and toxicity in maize plants grown in agricultural soil. The study found that while polyethylene alone had no significant effect, polystyrene at higher doses altered cadmium accumulation patterns, suggesting that different plastic types may interact differently with heavy metals in soil.

2020 Toxics 239 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological and biochemical effects of polystyrene micro/nano plastics on Arabidopsis thaliana

Experiments on the model plant Arabidopsis showed that polystyrene nano- and microplastics reduced seed germination, stunted growth, lowered chlorophyll levels, and triggered oxidative stress in roots, with smaller particles and higher concentrations causing the most damage. These findings raise concerns about how microplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect crop health and ultimately food production.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing heterogeneous pollution risks from polystyrene micro(nano)plastics and cadmium to physiology and biochemistry in parsley via a split-root system

Researchers used a split-root system to study how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics interact with cadmium to affect parsley growth under conditions mimicking real-world uneven soil contamination. They found that cadmium was the primary driver of root damage and oxidative stress, but these effects remained localized to the contaminated side, suggesting the plant can isolate damage. Excessive nanoplastics combined with cadmium on both sides of the root system triggered defense mechanisms that altered the plant's production of beneficial bioactive compounds.

2025 Phytochemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of cadmium on polystyrene transport in parsley roots planted in a split-root system and assessment of the combined toxic effects

Researchers used a split-root system to study how cadmium affects the movement of polystyrene micro and nanoplastics in parsley plants. They found that plastic nanoparticles traveled through the plant's internal transport system from contaminated roots to clean roots, but cadmium reduced this movement by changing the plastics' surface charge. The study shows that in contaminated soil, heavy metals and microplastics interact in complex ways that affect how much plastic ends up in edible crops.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights into polystyrene micro/nanoplastics-facilitated cadmium trophic transfer and aggravated toxicity along a lettuce-snail terrestrial food chain

Researchers investigated how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics affect cadmium transfer through a lettuce-snail food chain and found that the plastics significantly increased cadmium availability in soil and its accumulation in lettuce leaves. Co-exposure caused amplified toxicity in snails, including greater oxidative stress, intestinal damage, and gut barrier dysfunction, demonstrating that microplastics can worsen the effects of heavy metal contamination in terrestrial food chains.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Impact of polystyrene microplastics on cadmium uptake in corn (Zea mays L.) in a cadmium‐contaminated calcareous soil

This study found that polystyrene microplastics in soil increased the uptake of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in corn plants. The research showed that microplastic contamination in agricultural soil can make crops absorb more harmful substances. This is a direct concern for food safety, as microplastics in farmland could increase our exposure to heavy metals through the food we eat.

2023 Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Soil Increase Cadmium Toxicity: Implications for Plant Growth and Nutrient Imbalance

A pot experiment showed that adding polyethylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium made the toxic metal more available to plants, increasing cadmium uptake in both roots and shoots. The combined exposure reduced crop yields by up to 38% and disrupted the plant's ability to absorb essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. This research is important for food safety because it shows microplastics in farm soil can make heavy metal contamination worse, potentially increasing toxic metal levels in crops people eat.

2025 Water Air & Soil Pollution 6 citations