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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Measuring the Effect of Dietary Microplastic on Biomagnification Potential of Environmental Contaminants and Plastic Additives
ClearQuantifying theEffect of Dietary Microplastics onthe Potential for Biological Uptake of Environmental Contaminantsand Polymer Additives
Researchers modeled how the presence of dietary microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract influences the thermodynamic driving force for diffusion of organic contaminants and polymer additives from the gut lumen into biological tissues, determining whether microplastics act as contaminant vectors or sinks depending on relative contamination levels. The study found that microplastics can either facilitate or inhibit biological uptake of co-ingested contaminants based on the sorptive capacity of the plastic relative to the dietary matrix.
Relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for the transfer of hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life
Researchers assessed the relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for transferring hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life. The study suggests that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of contaminants, factors like gut surfactants, pH, and temperature influence desorption rates, and modeling indicates other exposure routes may be more significant in natural environments.
Modeling the Role of Microplastics in Bioaccumulation of Organic Chemicals to Marine Aquatic Organisms. A Critical Review
Researchers reviewed mathematical models used to predict whether swallowing microplastics causes aquatic animals to absorb more toxic chemicals, finding that the effect depends on whether contaminants are more concentrated in the plastic or in the animal's tissues. In real-world conditions where animals are already exposed to contaminants, microplastics may actually pull chemicals out of tissues as often as they add them, complicating the assumption that microplastic ingestion always increases contamination.
Size-dependent vector effects of microplastics on bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in earthworm: A dual-dosing study
Researchers developed a dual-dosing method to directly measure how microplastics act as carriers for hydrophobic organic contaminants in earthworms. The study found that smaller microplastic particles had greater vector effects, increasing bioaccumulation of pollutants, and that dermal uptake played a significant role in contaminant transfer from microplastics to organisms.
Microplastic-Toxic Chemical Interaction: A Review Study on Quantified Levels, Mechanism and Implication
This review summarizes quantified levels of heavy metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants sorbed onto microplastics in environmental media, examining adsorption and desorption mechanisms and discussing health implications of ingested microplastics acting as vectors for toxic chemical transport.
Microplastics as a vector of hydrophobic contaminants: Importance of hydrophobic additives
This paper examines the role of hydrophobicity in determining whether organic pollutants sorbed to microplastics pose a meaningful additional risk beyond direct water exposure. The authors argue that for most scenarios, the contribution of microplastics to total pollutant exposure is smaller than commonly assumed and depends heavily on the properties of the specific chemical and polymer.
Desorption of bisphenol A from microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions
Researchers investigated bisphenol A desorption from three types of microplastics under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, finding that ingested microplastics can release adsorbed BPA during digestion, posing potential health risks.
Plastic as a Carrier of POPs to Aquatic Organisms: A Model Analysis
Researchers developed a model to evaluate whether microplastic acts as a meaningful carrier of persistent organic pollutants to aquatic organisms. The analysis suggests that in both laboratory and open marine systems, microplastic ingestion is more likely to slightly decrease bioaccumulation of pollutants rather than increase it, and the differences are too small to be relevant for risk assessment.
Evaluating microplastic particles as vectors of exposure for plastic additive chemicals using a food web model
Researchers used a bioaccumulation model to estimate how much chemical exposure humans and wildlife receive specifically from ingesting microplastic particles — versus other environmental routes — and found that microplastics only become a meaningful source of chemical additives when ingestion rates are high and the plastic contains substantial concentrations of hydrophobic chemicals. The work helps clarify when microplastics are a significant chemical vector, finding that health risks from this pathway are likely negligible at currently estimated ingestion rates.
Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments
Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.
Influence of microplastics on the bioconcentration of organic contaminants in fish: Is the “Trojan horse” effect a matter of concern?
Researchers tested whether microplastic ingestion increases the bioconcentration of hydrophobic organic chemicals in zebrafish, examining the so-called 'Trojan horse' effect. They found that exposure to contaminated polyethylene microplastics did not significantly increase chemical accumulation in fish compared to waterborne exposure alone. The study suggests that for these chemicals, direct water exposure remains the dominant uptake pathway, and the microplastic carrier effect may be less concerning than previously thought.
Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation
This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.
Ingested Polystyrene Micro-Nanoplastics Increase the Absorption of Co-Ingested Arsenic and Boscalid in an In Vitro Triculture Small Intestinal Epithelium Model
Researchers used an advanced intestinal cell model to study whether ingesting polystyrene micro-nanoplastics alongside environmental pollutants like arsenic and boscalid changes how those contaminants are absorbed. They found that the presence of microplastics significantly increased the intestinal uptake of both co-ingested pollutants. The study suggests that microplastics may act as carriers that enhance human exposure to other harmful chemicals through the diet.
An automatic flow-through system for exploration of the human bioaccessibility of endocrine disrupting compounds from microplastics
An automated flow-through system was developed to investigate the bioaccessibility of plastic-borne contaminants in the human gastrointestinal tract using physiologically relevant body fluids. The system measured leaching rates of plastic additives under fasted and fed state conditions, providing the first mechanistic data on how ingested microplastics release chemical contaminants in the human gut.
Describing the Accumulation, Concentration, and Amplification Effects of MPs Through the Food Chain
This review examines evidence for microplastic accumulation, concentration, and amplification through food chains from primary producers to predators. The authors discuss the degree to which trophic transfer leads to biomagnification of plastic particles and co-adsorbed chemical contaminants, with implications for wildlife and human dietary exposure.
Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants in the food chain: Assessing the combined toxicological effects and bioavailability
This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics act as carriers for environmental pollutants including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and microbial agents as they move through food chains. Researchers detail how polymer type, particle size, and environmental conditions influence the binding and release of these contaminants. The study highlights that the combined toxicity of microplastics together with the pollutants they carry may be greater than either would cause alone.
Pollutant adsorption on microplastic and its release during digestion processes
Researchers investigated the adsorption of copper and PFAS onto polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene microplastics and examined the subsequent release of these contaminants during simulated digestion processes. The study aimed to clarify the role of microplastics as vectors that increase contaminant bioavailability in marine biota.
Microplastics as a Trojan horse for trace metals
Researchers demonstrated that microplastics can absorb toxic metals from surrounding water and release them in conditions mimicking the human gut, essentially acting as a "Trojan horse" that transports heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and chromium into the body alongside the plastic particles.
Exposure to microplastic associated chemicals upon oral consumption of microplastics
This thesis quantified the release of plastic-associated chemical contaminants from microplastics during simulated human digestion, measuring how much of these chemicals actually leach out under stomach and intestinal conditions. The research helps estimate the chemical exposure humans receive when they ingest microplastics through food and water.
Microplastics serve as a potential vector for the transfer of naphthalene from freshwater to the human gastrointestinal system
Researchers investigated whether microplastics can transfer the pollutant naphthalene from freshwater into the human gastrointestinal system. The study examined three types of microplastics and found they can adsorb naphthalene from water and subsequently release it under simulated digestive conditions, suggesting microplastics may act as vectors that carry environmental contaminants into the human body through ingested water or food.
The significance of trophic transfer of microplastics in the accumulation of plastic additives in fish: An experimental study using brominated flame retardants and UV stabilizers
Researchers found that trophic transfer through food is a more significant route than direct water exposure for fish accumulation of plastic-derived chemicals, including brominated flame retardants and UV stabilizers associated with microplastics.
Do Larger Microplastics Biomagnify in the Digestive Tracts of Coastal Marine Animals?
Researchers collected coastal marine animals across multiple trophic levels using beach seining, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving, then used stable isotope analysis to examine whether larger microplastics biomagnify in digestive tracts with increasing trophic position, finding limited evidence for systematic biomagnification of larger particles.
Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastics in marine organisms: A review and meta-analysis of current data
This meta-analysis reviews current evidence on whether microplastics accumulate and concentrate as they move up the marine food chain. The findings have direct implications for seafood safety, since biomagnification would mean that larger predatory fish consumed by humans could contain higher concentrations of microplastics and their associated chemical additives.
Effect of microplastics on the environmental behavior of emerging contaminants in aquatic matrices
This study examines how microplastics affect the environmental behavior of emerging contaminants in aquatic systems. Microplastics can adsorb other pollutants and alter their bioavailability, potentially increasing or decreasing toxic effects depending on the chemicals and environmental conditions.