Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Introduction: Avowing Fragility

Despite its title referencing fragility, this paper is a work of philosophy and social theory examining how contemporary academia approaches questions of environmental uncertainty and modernity — not microplastic pollution. It discusses concepts from Husserl, Wittgenstein, and sociological theorists and is entirely unrelated to microplastics or human health.

2025 The MIT Press eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

On the issue of microplastics in the environment

This paper examines the origins of microplastic pollution, arguing that its emergence is not solely attributable to polymer chemistry advances and cannot be explained simply by physicochemical degradation processes acting on plastic materials.

2024 Tovaroved prodovolstvennykh tovarov (Commodity specialist of food products)
Article Tier 2

Analisis Ontologis Mikroplastik Dalam Tubuh Manusia Sebagai Ancaman Terhadap Hakikat Eksistensi Dan Kesehatan Biologis Modern

This Indonesian philosophical-scientific article performed an ontological analysis of microplastics in the human body, examining what their pervasive accumulation means for human existence and biological health. The work integrated philosophical frameworks with scientific evidence on microplastic exposure pathways and health risks.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Natural History of Derangement

This appears to be a philosophical or literary essay about the destabilization of what humans have assumed are permanent conditions of Earth's environment. It is not a scientific study and is not directly related to microplastics research.

2021 Columbia journal of literary criticism
Article Tier 2

Por uma arqueologia do antropoceno: tempo, identidade e novos artefactos numa nova era

This Portuguese-language archaeology paper discusses the emergence of 'Anthropocene Archaeology' — the study of human artifacts and materials from the current geological era of human dominance. Plastics, including microplastics, are among the defining material markers of the Anthropocene that will be part of this archaeological record.

2023 digitAR - Revista Digital de Arqueologia Arquitectura e Artes
Article Tier 2

Plastic Memories of the Anthropocene

This essay uses philosophical frameworks to analyze plastics as objects with material agency—things that escape human control and embed themselves in ecosystems. The author examines plastic's persistence as both a literal and symbolic phenomenon of the Anthropocene era.

2021 Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies and Theory 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano- and microplastics in the environment : presence, effects and their role as a Trojan horse for other pollutants

This thesis reviews the presence and effects of nano- and microplastics in the environment, examining how they act as carriers for other pollutants and discussing their potential health impacts on ecosystems and humans.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Contaminants of Global Concern in the Anthropocene

This review summarizes the state of knowledge on microplastics as a global contaminant, covering their sources, distribution in different environments, and potential ecological and health effects. It frames microplastics as a defining pollution challenge of the Anthropocene era.

2018 Revista Virtual de Química 64 citations
Review Tier 2

Bakelite to microplastics contamination: A comprehensive review on microplastics sources, distribution and their characteristic existence in environment

This comprehensive review traced the history of plastic pollution from Bakelite in the early 20th century to today's microplastic contamination crisis, examining how plastic production growth has driven accumulation across global environments. It synthesized evidence on sources, transport pathways, and ecological impacts.

2024 Emerging contaminants 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Arctic Sea Ice: A Petromodern Archive Fever

This cultural studies essay examines microplastics found in Arctic sea ice as a form of archive — recording human pollution and reducing the ecological agency of the ice itself. The paper applies philosophical frameworks to plastic contamination, arguing that microplastics in sea ice represent both a record of human impact and an erasure of natural ecological processes.

2023 Edinburgh University Press eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Living in the Plastic Age

This interdisciplinary work examines plastic pollution from societal and environmental perspectives, arguing that ubiquitous plastic waste and its conversion to microplastics has become so pervasive in shaping human-nature relationships that it defines a distinct 'Plastic Age,' and exploring implications for human health and pathways toward systemic change.

2023 Campus Verlag eBooks 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Philosophy: Rethinking Climate Change through the Jellyfish Metaphor

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a philosophical essay using the jellyfish as a metaphor to explore humanity's moral responsibility regarding climate change and environmental degradation, with no empirical microplastic content.

2023 Preprints.org 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Superficial or Substantial: Why Care about Microplastics in the Anthropocene?

This viewpoint paper argues that microplastics represent a genuinely significant environmental threat rather than a superficial concern, examining the scientific evidence and social dimensions of the issue. The authors make the case for treating microplastic pollution as a priority environmental challenge in the Anthropocene.

2018 Environmental Science & Technology 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The future of plastic

Researchers examine whether biodegradable polymers can solve plastic's environmental crisis, noting that while plastic is enormously useful, society's heavy reliance on it has created a global pollution problem that biodegradable alternatives alone are unlikely to fully resolve.

2018 Nature Communications 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Degradation and Legal Accountability: Strengthening India’s Response to Pollution and Climate Crisis

Not relevant to microplastics — this appears to be a legal and policy paper about environmental degradation and accountability in India, with an abstract that inconsistently describes a study on waste management education among women; it does not present original microplastic research.

2026 International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology
Article Tier 2

From the Ecological Crisis of the Anthropocene to the Ecological Transition

This philosophical and scientific paper frames the current environmental crisis as an Anthropocene crisis involving not just climate change but the destabilization of the entire Earth system, including plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. The author argues that ecological transition requires systemic change in human-nature relationships.

2024
Article Tier 2

Issue Information

This paper is not about microplastics; it is a journal issue-information page for Land Degradation & Development describing the scope of that publication.

2023 Land Degradation and Development 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Analisis Ontologis Mikroplastik Dalam Tubuh Manusia Sebagai Ancaman Terhadap Hakikat Eksistensi Dan Kesehatan Biologis Modern

This literature review applied ontological analysis to examine the implications of microplastic accumulation in the human body for modern biological health. The authors synthesized Indonesian and international research on exposure pathways and health effects to argue that microplastics represent a fundamental threat to human biological integrity.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Big molecules that do not go away

This essay explores how modern society has become as dependent on synthetic polymers ('plastics') as living organisms are on biopolymers like proteins and cellulose, examining the ubiquity of plastics in daily life and the challenges posed by their persistence in the environment.

2025 Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka
Article Tier 2

How to do things in the Plasticene: Ontopolitics of plastics in Arendt, Barthes, and Massumi

This humanities paper analyzes plastic as a cultural and philosophical object in the current geological era using the frameworks of Hannah Arendt, Roland Barthes, and Brian Massumi. It argues that plastic has become so embedded in modern life as to be nearly invisible and unthinkable, which contributes to difficulty in addressing plastic pollution.

2020 AM Journal of Art and Media Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Task of Envisioning Security for the Anthropocene

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this is a political science and philosophy essay arguing for a broader, holistic concept of security in the Anthropocene that encompasses climate change, ecosystem degradation, and pandemics.

2023 Irish Studies in International Affairs 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Time is running: top ways to avoid a plasticene

This review article argues that society is approaching a "plasticene" — an era defined by pervasive plastic contamination — and calls urgently for behavioral, regulatory, and educational changes to curb plastic production and pollution. It highlights the growing body of evidence showing microplastics harm living organisms and human health, emphasizing that individual awareness and systemic governance reform are both essential.

2023 OBSERVATÓRIO DE LA ECONOMÍA LATINOAMERICANA
Article Tier 2

Polymers and Microplastics: Implications on Our Environment and Sustainability

This review discusses the environmental implications of polymers and microplastics, covering their properties, production trends, degradation pathways, and ecological impacts. It highlights the tension between the industrial utility of plastics and their growing threat to environmental and human health.

2020 IntechOpen eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

What´s missing in our environment? (2019)

This reflective essay on ecology and environmental awareness discusses what has been lost and what challenges face modern society in relating to the natural environment. It is a philosophical piece with no primary scientific data on microplastics.

2019 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)