Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Fine micro- and nanoplastics particles (PM2.5) in urban air and their relation to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Researchers measured ultrafine micro- and nanoplastics in urban air at the individual polymer level for the first time, finding correlations between airborne plastic particle concentrations and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, suggesting plastics act as carriers for toxic compounds.

2023 Atmospheric Environment 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water and Microplastics

Researchers measured five cancer-linked PAH compounds in water samples and found that microplastics can bind these chemicals, potentially concentrating them. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers of carcinogenic compounds in drinking water and aquatic environments.

2021 Scientific Repository of the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge)
Article Tier 2

Sources, Occurrences, and Risks of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydro-Carbons (PAHs) in Bangladesh: A Review of Current Status

This review examines levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toxic chemicals from burning fossil fuels, across water, soil, air, and seafood in Bangladesh, finding concentrations higher than in most other countries. Health assessments revealed both cancer and non-cancer risks to residents from eating contaminated seafood. While focused on PAHs rather than microplastics directly, the findings are relevant because microplastics can absorb and concentrate these same cancer-causing chemicals, potentially worsening human exposure.

2024 Atmosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of human and animals exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Health risk and adverse effects, photo-induced toxicity and regulating effect of microplastics

This review examines the health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toxic chemicals from burning fossil fuels, and how microplastics can change their behavior in the environment. Microplastics absorb PAHs on their surface, potentially carrying these cancer-causing chemicals into organisms that ingest the contaminated particles. The combined toxicity of PAHs attached to microplastics may be greater than either pollutant alone, increasing risks to both wildlife and human health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 403 citations
Article Tier 2

Suspended fine particulate matter (PM2.5), microplastics (MPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air: Their possible relationships and health implications

Researchers analyzed the relationship between airborne fine particulate matter, microplastics, and toxic chemicals in an urban area near the Persian Gulf. They found microplastics embedded in air pollution particles, suggesting that people may be inhaling microplastics along with other air pollutants, with potential combined health effects that warrant further investigation.

2020 Environmental Research 424 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between polyaromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics: Environmental mechanisms and ecotoxicological impacts

This review examines how microplastics interact with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of toxic organic pollutants found throughout the environment. Evidence indicates that microplastics can adsorb these pollutants and alter their availability and toxicity to living organisms, with effects depending on plastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions. The study identifies critical gaps in long-term exposure research and calls for standardized testing methods to better assess these combined risks.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their human health risks depend on the characteristics of microplastics in marine organisms of Sanggou Bay, China

This study found that the type and characteristics of microplastics present in marine organisms from Sanggou Bay, China, influenced how much of the harmful chemical pollutant PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) accumulated in their tissues. Smaller, more degraded microplastics carried more PAHs into organisms, raising the human health risk from eating contaminated seafood and highlighting that microplastics act as vehicles for other toxic chemicals.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water and sediment of the Bay of Bengal coastal area, India: sources, pathway and ecological risk

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in surface water and sediment along two Bay of Bengal coastal beaches in India and found microplastics present at both sites. They also detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a group of harmful chemicals, adsorbed onto the microplastic surfaces at concentrations that varied by particle shape. The study highlights that microplastics in coastal waters act as carriers for toxic organic pollutants, potentially increasing ecological risks in the marine environment.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons migration in Baiyangdian Lake, northern China: Concentrations, sorption–desorption behavior, and multi-phase exchange

Researchers measured microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Baiyangdian Lake, China, and studied how microplastics affect the movement of these toxic chemicals between water, sediment, and air. They found that microplastics can adsorb PAHs and alter their transfer between environmental compartments, increasing deposition from air to water and volatilization from sediment to water. The study suggests microplastics may act as carriers that redistribute harmful organic pollutants within lake ecosystems.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of benzo(a)pyrene and of a complex mixture of petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto polystyrene microplastics

Researchers investigated the sorption of benzo(a)pyrene and a complex mixture of petrogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto polystyrene microplastics in aquatic systems, quantifying how the hydrophobic nature and large surface area of microplastics facilitate PAH accumulation and potential vector transport.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons affiliated with microplastics in surface waters of Bohai and Huanghai Seas, China

Microplastics collected from surface waters of the Bohai and Huanghai Seas in China were found to carry polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at concentrations exceeding those in surrounding water, acting as concentrators of these carcinogenic compounds. The study documents that microplastics in heavily industrialized Chinese coastal seas accumulate PAHs that can be transferred to organisms that ingest them.

2018 Environmental Pollution 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Efeitos de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos em mitocôndrias de células de mamíferos

This paper is not directly about microplastics — it is a Portuguese-language study on the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — a class of combustion-derived air pollutants — on mitochondrial function and mtDNA stability in human lung cells, finding no significant mitochondrial impact at genotoxic concentrations.

2023
Article Tier 2

Cancer may be induced by microplastics-sorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?

This review explores the potential link between microplastics that have absorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cancer risk in humans. Researchers found that microplastics can act as carriers for persistent organic pollutants, and laboratory studies suggest these contaminated particles may enhance metastatic characteristics in cancer cells. The study indicates that the combination of microplastics and adsorbed pollutants may pose a heightened concern for human health.

2024 Oral Oncology Reports 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of cancer risk of microplastics enriched with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Researchers assessed the cancer risk of microplastics originating from e-waste that had adsorbed carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The study found that microplastics effectively captured PAHs through adsorption and estimated the probable cancer risk from human ingestion of PAH-enriched microplastics, suggesting this exposure pathway warrants further health risk evaluation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 257 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and PAHs mixed contamination: An in-depth review on the sources, co-occurrence, and fate in marine ecosystems

This review examines how microplastics and PAHs (cancer-causing chemicals from fossil fuel burning) interact in ocean environments, with microplastics acting as carriers that help spread these toxic chemicals through marine ecosystems. This combined contamination matters for human health because both pollutants can accumulate in seafood and potentially reach people through diet.

2024 Water Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Association between PAH and plastic fragments on Brazilian coast beaches: a baseline assessment

Researchers conducted a baseline assessment of the association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plastic fragments collected from beaches along the Brazilian coast, characterising how microplastics act as adsorption surfaces for these organic pollutants. The study found co-occurrence of PAHs and plastic fragments at sampled sites, establishing contamination baselines and informing understanding of the plastic-pollutant vector pathway.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from the Tampamachoco lagoon, Tuxpan River mouth, Gulf of Mexico

This paper is not about microplastics; it characterizes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in sediments of a Mexican coastal lagoon, focusing on sources like fossil fuel combustion — with no substantive discussion of microplastic pollution.

2023 Arabian Journal of Geosciences 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory Measurements of Pyrene and Acenaphthene Partition into Microplastics

Laboratory experiments measured how quickly and extensively three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — pyrene, phenanthrene, and acenaphthene — sorb onto pellets of five common plastic types. PAH uptake had half-lives of around 10 hours, with polypropylene absorbing the most and PVC absorbing the least. The results confirm that microplastics act as concentration vectors for toxic organic pollutants in the environment, and that weathering and oxidation of plastic surfaces increases their capacity to carry these chemicals into aquatic food chains.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Voyaging of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an emerging group of pollutants, on micro-mesoplastics in the marine environment.

Researchers detected 61 of 75 target halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micro-mesoplastics collected from coastal environments in Sri Lanka and Japan, finding that plastic surfaces accumulate these emerging pollutants at concentrations far exceeding surrounding sediments and that chlorinated PAHs dominated over brominated forms at both sites.

2023 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Water Bodies of Dong Lake and Tangxun Lake, China: Spatial Distribution, Potential Sources and Risk Assessment

Researchers surveyed two of China's largest urban inland lakes for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination and found these toxic compounds present in water samples from both lakes. Using source analysis models, they determined that the contamination primarily came from petroleum combustion and industrial activities in the surrounding urban areas. While focused on chemical pollutants rather than microplastics directly, the study illustrates how urban lakes accumulate multiple types of environmental contaminants simultaneously.

2023 Water 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Xiamen coastal areas: Implications for anthropogenic impacts

Researchers measured both microplastic abundance and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in surface water and sediments of Xiamen coastal areas in southeast China. The study found that microplastic distribution correlated with urbanization and industrial activity patterns, suggesting that anthropogenic inputs drive co-contamination of coastal environments with both microplastics and chemical pollutants.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 261 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption, Extraction, and Characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmentally Weathered Microplastics, Particulate Organic Matter, Sediment, and Fish Species in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bay System

Researchers studied how microplastics carry cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bay system in Texas. They found PAHs attached to microplastics, sediment, and in the digestive systems of three commercially important fish species. This shows that microplastics can act as vehicles for toxic chemicals in coastal waters, potentially affecting the safety of fish that people eat.

2025 Environment & Health 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastics in indoor and outdoor environments of a developing country in South Asia: abundance, distribution, morphology, and possible sources

Researchers quantified airborne microplastic concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments in a South Asian developing country, characterizing particle abundance, size distribution, morphology, and potential sources, finding significant microplastic air pollution in a lower-middle-income country context.

2022 Figshare 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) in urban air: polymer composition, interactions and inhalation risk

Researchers characterized airborne micro- and nanoplastics in urban air using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on size-fractionated aerosol samples. The study found total concentrations averaging 0.6 micrograms per cubic meter, with tire wear particles as a dominant source, highlighting an underestimated threat to urban air quality and human respiratory health.

2025 1 citations