Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics increase cadmium uptake in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by altering the soil microenvironment

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that lettuce plants absorbed. The microplastics changed soil chemistry by lowering pH and increasing dissolved organic carbon, which made cadmium more available for plant uptake. This is concerning because it suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could make crops more contaminated with heavy metals, increasing the health risks for people who eat them.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the impacts of biodegradable microplastics on cadmium toxicity, translocation, transformation, and metabolome in lettuce

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in lettuce and found that the combination worsened the toxic effects on plant growth compared to cadmium alone. The biodegradable plastics increased cadmium accumulation in the edible parts of the lettuce and altered how the metal was distributed within plant cells. The findings raise concerns about using biodegradable plastic mulch in soils already contaminated with heavy metals, as it may increase the amount of toxic metals that end up in food crops.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of naturally aged microplastics on arsenic and cadmium accumulation in lettuce: Insights into rhizosphere microecology

Researchers studied how naturally aged microplastics in soil affect the uptake of arsenic and cadmium by lettuce. At low concentrations, microplastics actually reduced heavy metal absorption and helped plant growth, but at higher concentrations they increased the amount of toxic metals taken up by the lettuce. This means microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher levels of heavy metals in salad greens and other vegetables that people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Soil–Plant Systems: Impact on Soil Properties and Cadmium Uptake in Lettuce

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in soil and its effects on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics combined with cadmium significantly decreased soil quality and that microplastics can alter cadmium uptake in plants, suggesting that co-contamination of agricultural soils with both pollutants may pose compounded risks to food crop safety.

2025 Toxics 1 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 Microplastics Coexisting in Vegetable Soil on the Change of Cadmium Bioavailability].

Researchers investigated the effects of biodegradable microplastics co-occurring with cadmium in vegetable soil through a 60-day pot experiment with lettuce, examining how the combined contamination alters cadmium bioavailability and uptake relative to cadmium-only or microplastic-only conditions.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Micro plastic driving changes in the soil microbes and lettuce growth under the influence of heavy metals contaminated soil

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated soil and their combined effects on lettuce growth and soil bacteria. Different types of microplastics altered soil chemistry and changed which microbes thrived, sometimes making heavy metals more available to plants. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could affect both the safety and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biodegradable microplastics and Cd co-pollution on Cd bioavailability and plastisphere in soil-plant system

Researchers examined how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in agricultural soil where lettuce is grown. They found that the biodegradable plastics indirectly increased cadmium availability to plants by lowering soil pH and changing soil chemistry. The study suggests that even eco-friendly biodegradable plastics may worsen heavy metal contamination risks in farming soils.

2024 Chemosphere 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
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

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
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Revealing the Combined Effects of Microplastics, Zn, and Cd on Soil Properties and Metal Accumulation by Leafy Vegetables: A Preliminary Investigation by a Laboratory Experiment

This laboratory study examines how microplastics combined with heavy metals like zinc and cadmium affect soil health and leafy vegetable growth. The findings suggest that microplastics can alter how metals accumulate in lettuce and other greens, potentially increasing the levels of toxic substances in the vegetables people eat.

2023 Soil Systems 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics addition reduced the toxicity and uptake of cadmium to Brassica chinensis L.

Researchers studied how the presence of microplastics in soil affects the toxicity and uptake of cadmium, a harmful heavy metal, by Chinese cabbage plants. They found that microplastics actually reduced cadmium accumulation in the plants by adsorbing the metal onto their surfaces, effectively lowering its availability in the soil. While this reduced cadmium toxicity to the plants, the study notes that microplastics themselves may introduce other environmental risks.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 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
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics on cadmium accumulation in Solanum nigrum L.: A study involving microbial communities and metabolomics profiles

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil reduced the ability of a plant known for cleaning up cadmium contamination to absorb the toxic metal. The microplastics changed the soil's microbial community and altered the plant's metabolism in ways that disrupted its natural heavy metal uptake process. This is important because it suggests microplastic pollution in farmland could interfere with natural and engineered soil cleanup strategies for heavy metals.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics influence cadmium trophic transfer along the “lettuce-snail” food chain: Focus on leaf age and the chemical fractionations of Cd in lettuce

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered cadmium accumulation and trophic transfer along the lettuce-snail food chain, with effects varying by leaf age and the chemical fractionation of cadmium in lettuce tissues.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 164 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