Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

Micro-nanoscale polystyrene co-exposure impacts the uptake and translocation of arsenic and boscalid by lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Researchers found that nanoscale polystyrene particles dramatically increase arsenic translocation from roots to edible shoots of lettuce — up to threefold — while also entering root cells and migrating to leaves, demonstrating that microplastic co-exposure can substantially amplify the accumulation of other environmental contaminants in food crops.

2025 NanoImpact 5 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

Effects of polyethylene microplastic on the phytotoxicity of di-n-butyl phthalate in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. ramosa Hort)

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics interact with the chemical pollutant di-n-butyl phthalate in lettuce and found that microplastics altered the plant's response to the toxin. The combination reduced photosynthesis, lowered chlorophyll content, and disrupted the plant's antioxidant defenses. The study highlights that microplastics in soil can change how plants respond to other contaminants, potentially compounding environmental harm.

2019 Chemosphere 380 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of co-exposure of antibiotic and microplastic on the rhizosphere microenvironment of lettuce seedlings

Researchers examined how the combination of antibiotics and polyethylene microplastics in agricultural soil affects lettuce seedling growth and the microbial community around plant roots. They found that combined exposure altered soil bacterial diversity, changed the chemical profile of root-zone metabolites, and affected nutrient cycling differently than either contaminant alone. The study highlights the compounding environmental risks when antibiotics from animal manure and microplastics from plastic films co-exist in farmland soils.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyester microplastics and naproxen on lettuce growth and development and soil abiotic factors

This study tested the effects of polyester microplastics and the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen -- alone and in combination -- on lettuce growth and soil properties. Polyester microplastics altered soil abiotic factors and affected lettuce development, while combined exposure with naproxen produced interactive effects on plant metrics, raising concerns about the joint risks of plastic and pharmaceutical co-contamination in agricultural soils.

2024 Agrosystems Geosciences & Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics are taken up by lettuce and barley under realistic soil condition

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles called nanoplastics can be absorbed by lettuce and barley plants when grown in soil, even at low pollution levels similar to what's found in the environment. The plastic particles accumulated in the parts of the plants that people eat, showing a new way these pollutants could enter our food supply. While the amounts were small, this research reveals that nanoplastics from pollution can travel from soil into our crops, which could eventually affect human health.

2026
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of arsenate and microplastics and its toxicity mechanism on lettuce

Researchers investigated the combined effects of arsenate and polystyrene microplastics on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics adsorbed arsenate from irrigation water and enhanced its uptake by lettuce, with the synergistic effect causing greater oxidative stress and growth inhibition than either contaminant alone.

2025 Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Soil moisture and texture mediating the micro(nano)plastics absorption and growth of lettuce in natural soil conditions

Experiments growing lettuce in natural agricultural soil showed that microplastics and nanoplastics are taken up and transported through roots, stems, and even leaves, and that higher soil moisture accelerates this uptake and migration. Because the study used realistic soil conditions, it strengthens concerns that food crops may be accumulating plastic particles that consumers then ingest.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of polyethylene particles on dibutyl phthalate toxicity in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.).

Polyethylene microplastic fragments in soil reduced the uptake of the plasticizer chemical dibutyl phthalate (DBP) into lettuce roots but worsened its inhibitory effects on root growth. The complex interactions between microplastics and co-occurring chemical contaminants like phthalates can alter toxicity in unexpected ways, affecting both plant growth and the safety of food crops.

2021 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Effect of co-presence of cadmium or procymidone with microplastic films in soil on lettuce growth

Pot experiments growing lettuce in soil contaminated with cadmium or the fungicide procymidone alongside LDPE or PVC microplastic films found that co-presence of microplastics with chemical contaminants produced subtle but measurable effects on plant growth. This matters because agricultural soils frequently contain both microplastics and chemical pollutants simultaneously, and their combined effects on food crops may differ from what single-contaminant studies would predict.

2023 Applied Biological Chemistry 12 citations
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

Interactive impacts of microplastics and arsenic on agricultural soil and plant traits

This study tested how microplastics interact with arsenic, a toxic metal, in agricultural soil growing lettuce. While microplastics alone slightly promoted plant growth, combining them with arsenic significantly reduced lettuce size and health. The findings suggest that microplastics in farm soil could worsen the effects of other pollutants like arsenic, potentially affecting the safety and quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 39 citations
Article Tier 2

The Combined Toxic Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Arsenate on Lettuce Under Hydroponic Conditions

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics and arsenic together caused more harm to lettuce than either pollutant alone, reducing root growth and chlorophyll content by up to 71%. The arsenic actually helped microplastics penetrate deeper into plant tissue, and the combination made the soil around roots more acidic. This study is important because it shows that microplastics in farm soil can worsen the effects of other contaminants on food crops.

2025 Toxics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Looking into the effects of co-contamination by micro(nano)plastics in the presence of other pollutants on irrigated edible plants

This review examines the combined effects of micro- and nanoplastics with other pollutants found in treated wastewater used for crop irrigation. Researchers analyzed 19 studies and found that the joint exposure to plastics and contaminants like heavy metals or pesticides often produced different toxicity outcomes than either pollutant alone. The findings suggest that using reclaimed wastewater for irrigation may expose food crops to complex mixtures of pollutants whose combined effects are still poorly understood.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupling polyethylene microplastics with other pollutants: Exploring their combined effects on plant health and technologies for mitigating toxicity

This review summarizes how polyethylene microplastics interact with other common soil pollutants like heavy metals and antibiotics in agricultural fields. Microplastics can absorb these pollutants and carry them into plants, making the combined exposure more harmful than either pollutant alone. The findings raise concerns about the safety of crops grown in microplastic-contaminated soil.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 19 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

Effects of naturally aged microplastics on the distribution and bioavailability of arsenic in soil aggregates and its accumulation in lettuce

Scientists studied how weathered microplastics interact with arsenic, a toxic element, in soil where lettuce is grown. At low to moderate arsenic levels, the microplastics actually helped the lettuce grow better and reduced arsenic uptake. However, at high arsenic concentrations, microplastics made the toxicity worse, reducing leaf quality and nutrition. This shows that the health impact of microplastics in farming depends heavily on what other contaminants are present in the soil.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of different microplastics polymers and albendazole and pyraclostrobin mix on arugula (Eruca vesicaria) physiology and growth

Researchers exposed arugula plants to conventional (LDPE) and biodegradable (PBAT) microplastics combined with a pesticide-antiparasitic mixture, and found that only the conventional plastic significantly amplified the chemicals' toxicity, reducing plant growth more than either pollutant alone. This shows that conventional microplastics can act as carriers that worsen the effects of agricultural chemicals in soil.

2025 Next Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene Nanoplastics Intensify Arsenic Toxicity in Lettuce by Altering Arsenic Accumulation and Stress Pathways

Researchers grew lettuce in arsenic-contaminated farmland soil amended with polyethylene nanoplastics and found that nanoplastic exposure increased arsenic accumulation in edible leaves by 35–39%, reduced plant biomass by up to 30%, and disrupted antioxidant metabolism, highlighting compounded food safety risks in contaminated agricultural soils.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Co-occurrence of multiple contaminants: Unentangling adsorption behaviour in agricultural soils

This study examined how microplastics in agricultural soil interact with pesticides and pharmaceutical compounds, finding that microplastics increased pesticide absorption by 120-730% in some soils. This means microplastics can concentrate pesticides in soil, potentially creating toxic hotspots. The findings are important for food safety because crops grown in soil contaminated with both microplastics and pesticides may be exposed to higher levels of chemicals than expected.

2025 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Pesticide bioaccumulation in radish produced from soil contaminated with microplastics

Researchers examined how microplastics in soil affect the bioaccumulation of pesticides in radishes, finding that aged microplastics enhanced the uptake of chlorpyrifos into the edible root. The study suggests that the combination of microplastics and pesticide mixtures in agricultural soils may increase food safety risks beyond what would be expected from individual contaminants alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Different effects and mechanisms of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics on the uptake of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) by lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Researchers investigated how polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics affect the uptake of heavy metals by lettuce grown in contaminated soil. They found that nanoplastics increased the accumulation of copper and zinc in lettuce leaves, while microplastics had the opposite effect for some metals. The study reveals that plastic particle size plays a critical role in determining whether microplastics worsen or reduce heavy metal contamination in food crops.

2022 Environmental Pollution 95 citations