Papers

61,005 results
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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

Vertical transport behavior of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) microplastic-mediated based on column leaching experiment

A soil column experiment showed that microplastics reduce how much polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution leaches downward through soil by 8–20%, effectively trapping these carcinogenic compounds closer to the surface; however, alkaline conditions reversed this effect, causing elevated PAH leaching. This matters because microplastic-contaminated agricultural soils often also carry PAHs, and the interaction between the two pollutants could affect both groundwater contamination risk and the bioavailability of PAHs to crops.

2026
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Health Risks from Agricultural Soils Contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Across Different Land-Use Categories of Bangladesh

Researchers assessed levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of harmful chemical pollutants, in agricultural soils across Bangladesh. Industrial areas had the highest contamination levels, followed by coastal and market areas, with concentrations declining at greater soil depths. The study found that while current exposure levels pose low cancer risk, continued monitoring is needed since these persistent chemicals accumulate in soil and can enter the food chain.

2024 Applied Sciences 4 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

Contamination Levels and Accumulation Profiles of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Surface Sediments from South Central Coast of Vietnam

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were quantified in surface sediments from the South Central Coast of Vietnam, characterizing sources, spatial distribution, and potential ecological risk from these hydrophobic persistent organic pollutants.

2024 VNU Journal of Science Natural Sciences and Technology
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on The Adsorption and Their Mechanisms of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil by Microplastics

This review examines how microplastic characteristics including polymer type, particle size, density, and aging state influence their adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, along with how environmental factors such as pH and organic matter modify this interaction. The authors provide a theoretical framework for understanding the combined pollution risk of microplastics and PAHs in terrestrial ecosystems.

2024 Academic Journal of Science and Technology
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

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil and Vegetation of Niger Delta, Nigeria: Ecological Risk Assessment

Researchers assessed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in soils and vegetation across Nigeria's Niger Delta, finding elevated PAH levels in both matrices near oil exploration sites with ecological risk indices indicating significant environmental concern.

2023 Journal of Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Microplastics and Their Affiliated PAHs in Surface Water in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Researchers characterized microplastics and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface water across canals, the Saigon River, and coastal waters in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, finding microplastics at all sites with the highest concentrations in urban canals and detecting co-occurring PAH contamination.

2022 Polymers 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Extraction and determination of microplastics and associated PAHs in seawater and beach sediments from the northwestern part of the Caspian Sea

Researchers collected microplastics and beach sediments from the northwestern Caspian Sea and used GC-MS to characterize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on the MPs, finding PAH profiles consistent with petroleum combustion sources and documenting MP-PAH co-contamination in this landlocked sea.

2025 Analytical Methods in Environmental Chemistry Journal 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, microplastic presence and characterization of microbial communities in the soil of touristic zones at Alqueva’s edges (Alentejo, Portugal)

Researchers surveyed soil at three tourist sites along a Portuguese reservoir (Alqueva) and found microplastics—including polyamide, polyester, polystyrene, and styrene acrylonitrile resin—alongside low but detectable levels of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The soil also harbored bacteria known to break down plastics, suggesting the ecosystem has some natural degradation capacity. Even at seemingly pristine recreational sites, persistent pollutants accumulate, highlighting the need for routine environmental monitoring at water-adjacent tourist areas.

2026 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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

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

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

Occurrence, characteristics, and risk assessment of microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with microplastics in surface water and sediments of the Konya Closed Basin, Turkey

For the first time, researchers characterized microplastic abundance, composition, and morphology in surface water and sediments of the inland Konya Closed Basin in Turkey, and assessed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination associated with microplastic surfaces. Both microplastics and PAHs were detected throughout the basin's freshwater resources, with microplastics acting as vectors concentrating these toxic organic compounds.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics enhance soil residue of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Roles of pH and dissolved organic matter

Researchers used dynamic soil column leaching experiments with multiple controlled factors to investigate how microplastics affect the soil residue of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). MPs significantly enhanced PAH persistence in soil by altering sorption-desorption dynamics, with MP type, aging, and soil organic matter content as key modulating factors.

2025 Environmental Research 2 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-Analysis of a New Georeferenced Database on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Western and Central Mediterranean Seafood

This meta-analysis built a georeferenced database of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in Western and Central Mediterranean seafood, finding that PAH levels vary significantly by species biology, habitat, and proximity to pollution sources. Filter-feeding organisms and those in coastal areas showed higher contamination levels. PAHs are among the hydrophobic organic pollutants that readily adsorb onto microplastic surfaces, making microplastics potential vectors for concentrating and transporting these carcinogens through marine food webs.

2022 Applied Sciences 8 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

Colour spectrum and resin-type determine the concentration and composition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plastic pellets

Plastic pellets collected from beaches were found to contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, which are carcinogenic compounds), with darker-colored pellets generally having higher concentrations. This shows that plastic pellets can accumulate toxic chemicals from the environment and carry them to beaches where they may be ingested by wildlife.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Microplastics and Associated Heavy Metals in Urban Soils Affected by Anthropogenic Littering: Distribution, Spatial Variation, and Influence of Soil Properties

Researchers sampled soils across residential, commercial, and industrial land-use types in urban areas and found microplastics in every location, with polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyamide as the dominant polymer types, at concentrations up to 850,000 particles per kilogram. Heavy metals were also associated with the plastic particles, meaning microplastics in urban soil may serve as combined carriers of chemical toxicants. The findings highlight urban soil as a major but underappreciated reservoir of microplastic pollution.

2023 Soil and Sediment Contamination An International Journal 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons onto typical microplastics in a soil solution

Researchers investigated the adsorption behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene onto polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics across multiple particle sizes (0.8–500 µm) in soil solution using batch sorption experiments, finding that particle size and environmental factors significantly affect PAH sorption mechanisms.

2022 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon accumulation in aged and unaged polyurethane microplastics in contaminated soil

Researchers exposed biodegradable and conventional polyurethane foam microplastics to PAH-contaminated soils to measure pollutant sorption over 28 days. The study found that biodegradable polyurethane accumulated significantly more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons than conventional polyurethane, suggesting that the flexibility of the polymer network drives sorption and that biodegradable microplastics may pose unexpected risks as pollutant carriers in soil.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 52 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

Occurrence, Composition, and Risk Assessment of Microplastics and Adsorbed Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Drainage Sediments Along the Yangtze River, China

Urban drainage sediments from three Yangtze River cities contained 130–564 microplastic particles per 100 grams, with the highest concentrations near commercial and campus areas, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found adsorbed to many particles. Microplastics acting as carriers for toxic PAHs in stormwater systems represent a compounded threat to aquatic ecosystems and drinking water sources.

2026 Sustainability