Papers

20 results
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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

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

Microplastic mediated arsenic toxicity involves differential bioavailability of arsenic and modulated uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Researchers examined how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice paddies. They found that at low arsenic levels, microplastics actually reduced arsenic uptake by rice plants, but at high arsenic concentrations the combination produced synergistic toxic effects. The study reveals that the interaction between microplastics and heavy metals in agricultural soils is more complex than previously thought and depends heavily on contaminant concentration levels.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 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

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

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

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

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

Mechanistic insight into interactive effect of microplastics and arsenic on growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and soil health indicators

Researchers tested how different types of microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in rice paddy soil, finding that biodegradable PLA microplastics actually increased arsenic uptake by rice plants by up to 39%. In contrast, conventional polyethylene microplastics slightly reduced arsenic absorption. This is an important finding because as agriculture shifts toward biodegradable plastics, they may inadvertently increase the transfer of toxic heavy metals from soil into food crops.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 15 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

Effects of microplastics and arsenic on plants: Interactions, toxicity and environmental implications

This review examines how microplastics and arsenic interact in soil and their combined effects on plant health. When both pollutants are present together, they can have amplified toxic effects on plants, affecting growth, nutrient uptake, and stress responses. Since plants absorb these contaminants from soil, the interaction between microplastics and arsenic could increase human exposure to both pollutants through food crops.

2023 Chemosphere 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics change the safe production ability of arsenic-stressed rice (Oryza sativa L.) by regulating the antioxidant capacity, arsenic absorption, and distribution in rice

Researchers studied how polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics interact with arsenic contamination to affect rice growth and food safety. They found that the type of microplastic influenced how arsenic accumulated in different parts of the rice plant, with some combinations increasing arsenic levels in the edible grain. The findings raise concerns about microplastic contamination in agricultural soils altering how toxic metals are taken up by food crops.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 4 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

Microplastic particles increase arsenic toxicity to rice seedlings

Researchers studied how polystyrene and polytetrafluoroethylene microplastics interact with arsenic to affect rice seedling growth. They found that microplastics alone reduced plant biomass and inhibited photosynthesis, while the combination with arsenic at higher concentrations amplified the toxic effects on root activity and cell membranes. The study reveals that microplastic contamination in agricultural settings may worsen the impact of other pollutants on food crops.

2019 Environmental Pollution 444 citations
Article Tier 2

Response of garlic (Allium sativum L.) to the combined toxicity of microplastics and arsenic

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and arsenic interact when both are present in soil where garlic is growing. They found that nanoscale plastic particles can enter garlic through the roots and accumulate in plant tissues, and that higher microplastic concentrations actually increased arsenic transport into the edible bulb. The study highlights potential food safety concerns when crops are grown in soil contaminated with both microplastics and heavy metals.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastics lowers arsenic accumulation and alters gut bacterial communities of earthworm Metaphire californica

Researchers examined how microplastics interact with arsenic contamination in earthworms and their gut bacteria. They found that microplastics actually reduced arsenic accumulation in earthworm tissues by adsorbing the arsenic and lowering its bioavailability. The study suggests that while microplastics altered gut bacterial communities, their presence may lessen arsenic toxicity in soil organisms by changing how the metal moves through the food chain.

2019 Environmental Pollution 264 citations
Article Tier 2

Mutual Effects and Uptake of Organic Contaminants and Nanoplastics by Lettuce in Co-Exposure

Researchers found that when lettuce was grown with both nanoplastics and common agricultural pollutants, the nanoplastics dramatically increased the amount of the painkiller ibuprofen absorbed into the plant's leaves (by up to 309% in salty conditions). This means nanoplastics in farm soil could act as carriers that boost how much of other harmful chemicals end up in the food we eat. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in agriculture can amplify human exposure to multiple pollutants at once.

2024 ACS Agricultural Science & Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Multiomics Provides Insights into the Impacts of Microplastics on Heavy Metal(Loid) Accumulation in Lettuce under Simulated Acid Precipitation

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased cadmium uptake in lettuce shoots by 51% under acid rain conditions, while decreasing arsenic accumulation by 48%. The microplastics altered soil bacteria and disrupted key metabolic pathways, suggesting that the combination of microplastic pollution and acid rain may change how toxic metals move from soil into our food crops.

2025 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 27 citations
Article Tier 2

The adsorption of arsenic on micro- and nano-plastics intensifies the toxic effect on submerged macrophytes

Researchers investigated how arsenic adsorbs onto microplastics of varying types and sizes, and how those particles affect underwater plants. They found that nanoplastics increased arsenic absorption in aquatic macrophytes by 36-47%, causing more severe leaf damage and oxidative stress than either contaminant alone.

2022 Environmental Pollution 64 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microplastic pollution in the modification of the physicochemical properties of arable soil and uptake of potential toxic elements by plants

Researchers conducted a series of studies analyzing how microplastic pollution modifies the physicochemical properties of arable soil and affects the uptake of potentially toxic heavy metals by plants, beginning with a comprehensive literature review of microplastic interactions with plant physiology, metals, pesticides, and pathogens.

2025 Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego we Wrocławiu