Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

UV-filter pollution: current concerns and future prospects.

This review examines how UV-filter chemicals from sunscreens and industrial products enter aquatic environments and what their ecological effects are. UV-filters are also used as additives in plastics, making their environmental release relevant to the broader chemical pollution associated with plastic waste.

2021 Environmental monitoring and assessment
Article Tier 2

Sunscreen and Coral Reef

This review examines how sunscreen chemicals, particularly UV filters, damage coral reef ecosystems when washed off swimmers into coastal waters. While focused on chemical contamination, it highlights the broader vulnerability of coral reefs to multiple human-derived pollutants including plastics.

2019 International Journal of Innovative Studies in Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 1 citations
Article Tier 2

UV filters in everyday cosmetic products, a comparative study

This study surveyed UV-filtering chemicals across 742 cosmetic products and found widespread presence in everyday personal care items. UV filters are increasingly detected as environmental and biological contaminants, reaching waterways through skin absorption and washing, where they can interact with microplastics and other pollutants.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

UV filters and UV stabilisers adsorbed in microplastic debris from beach sand

Researchers detected UV filters and UV stabilizers adsorbed onto microplastic debris collected from beach sand, demonstrating that personal care product contaminants partition onto plastic particles and may be transported and concentrated in marine environments.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic Environmental Impact of Cosmetics

This review examines the aquatic environmental impacts of cosmetic ingredients, finding that while human safety assessments of cosmetics are well-developed, ecotoxicological evaluations remain limited despite widespread detection of cosmetic chemicals in aquatic systems. Researchers found that microplastics from cosmetics have received disproportionate attention -- with over 75% of evaluations focused on marine organisms -- while other ingredients including UV filters, preservatives, and fragrances are understudied relative to their environmental prevalence.

2022 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Non-Negligible Effects of UV Irradiation on Transformation and Environmental Risks of Microplastics in the Water Environment

This review examines how UV irradiation drives photoaging of microplastics in aquatic environments, altering their surface chemistry, mechanical properties, and adsorption capacity for co-pollutants, and thereby amplifying their ecotoxicological risks beyond those of virgin plastic particles.

2021 Journal of Xenobiotics 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Marine Environment and Its Impact

This review summarizes the sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastic pollution in marine environments, describing how UV degradation of plastic debris generates microplastics that affect marine organisms across multiple trophic levels.

2019 Sainmatika Jurnal Ilmiah Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Levels of Awareness among European Citizens about the Direct and Indirect Impacts of Plastics on Human Health

Researchers surveyed European citizens across multiple countries about their awareness of direct and indirect health impacts of plastic pollution, finding that awareness of plastic's environmental harms was widespread but that knowledge of specific health risks — including those from microplastics and chemical additives — was much lower.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates

Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Sunscreen Compounds from Wastewater Using Commercial Activated Carbon: Detailed Kinetic and Thermodynamic Analyses

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it examines the removal of UV-filter sunscreen chemicals from wastewater using activated carbon, finding effective adsorption under various pH and concentration conditions, with relevance to aquatic pollution from personal care products.

2023 Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The degree of awareness of the risk of microplastic particles/people’s perception in taking preventive measures for this type of risk

This study surveyed public awareness of microplastic risks and perceptions around taking protective measures, finding that knowledge levels were variable and that most people had limited understanding of exposure routes and health implications. The authors call for targeted public communication campaigns to increase risk awareness.

2024 Journal of Engineering Sciences and Innovation
Article Tier 2

Microplastic sorption of personal care products in aquatic environments: mechanisms and key factors

This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles in water can absorb and carry chemicals from personal care products like sunscreen, soap, and cosmetics. When microplastics pick up these chemicals, they could potentially transport them to new places in the environment and possibly into our food chain. This matters because it suggests microplastics might be spreading personal care chemicals in ways we don't fully understand yet.

2026 Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Analysis of public awareness and perception of microplastic particles in Roumania

A survey study assessed public awareness and perception of microplastic pollution among the Romanian population, finding significant gaps in knowledge about MP sources, health effects, and environmental fate, with educational level and geographic factors influencing awareness levels.

2025 Revue Roumaine de Chimie
Article Tier 2

Linking UV aging of polymers and microplastics formation: An assessment employing various characterization techniques

Researchers examined the link between UV aging of plastic polymers and the generation of microplastics in marine environments, using environmental assessment tools to model the process. The study clarifies how photodegradation rates and polymer type influence the rate and quantity of microplastic formation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Level of Awareness and Attitudes towards Plastic Contamination by Students of an Italian University

A survey of 220 Italian university students found significant gaps in awareness about micro- and nanoplastic contamination, with many not connecting everyday behaviors to plastic pollution despite science-oriented backgrounds.

2024 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding public perceptions of marine threats: awareness and concern among residents and visitors of the German Baltic Sea Coast

Researchers surveyed 628 residents and visitors along the German Baltic Sea coast to assess public awareness of marine environmental threats. The study found that while people reported high concern about ecological threats, they tended to identify visible issues like plastic waste and oil spills more readily than less perceptible problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and chemical pollution.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological assessment of microplastics in limnic systems with emphasis on chemicals released by weathering

This study examined both the physical and chemical toxicity of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems, with special focus on chemicals released when plastics are weathered by ultraviolet light. The research tested conventional and biodegradable plastics, addressing whether particle properties or leaching chemicals drive ecotoxicological effects.

2022
Article Tier 2

Internet User Awareness Assessment on the Impact of Microplastics on Health

A survey of 281 internet users aged 15–50 across diverse demographics assessed public awareness of microplastic health risks. Results revealed significant gaps in understanding — most respondents had heard of microplastics but underestimated their prevalence in food and water and were unaware of specific health effects. The study highlights that public health messaging about microplastics lags well behind the scientific evidence, which matters because consumer behaviour and policy support both depend on informed public understanding.

2023 Bulletin of Science and Practice 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Progress on the photo aging mechanism of microplastics and related impact factors in water environment

This review examined the photo-aging mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that solar UV radiation drives oxidation reactions that alter surface chemistry, fragment particles further, and enhance their capacity to adsorb and release co-occurring pollutants.

2021 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Sunscreen and Coral Reef

This review examines how sunscreen ingredients, particularly oxybenzone and other UV filters, damage coral reefs when released by swimmers and divers in shallow coastal waters. While focused on chemical toxicity, it illustrates the multiple human-caused stressors that compound the effects of plastic pollution on reef ecosystems.

2019 International Journal of Innovative Studies in Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Insight into chain scission and release profiles from photodegradation of polycarbonate microplastics

Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down polycarbonate microplastics in water and what chemicals are released in the process. The study found that UV exposure caused the plastics to fragment into smaller pieces while releasing bisphenol A (BPA) and other potentially harmful organic compounds. Importantly, BPA accounted for only a small fraction of the total chemicals released, suggesting that many unknown degradation products are also entering aquatic environments.

2021 Water Research 228 citations
Article Tier 2

Ocean Literacy and Surfing: Understanding How Interactions in Coastal Ecosystems Inform Blue Space User’s Awareness of the Ocean

Researchers surveyed surfers in coastal ecosystems about their ocean literacy and awareness of environmental issues, finding that regular interactions with the ocean through surfing were associated with greater awareness of threats but that knowledge of microplastic pollution specifically was still limited.

2021 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Public knowledge of microplastics for pro-environmental behavior

Researchers analyzed public knowledge of microplastics and its relationship to pro-environmental behavior, finding that because microplastics are invisible to the naked eye, public perception depends entirely on external information sources rather than direct experience, with implications for environmental communication strategies.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Влияние ультрафиолетового излучения на фрагментацию полимеров в водной среде

This review examines how UV radiation drives polymer fragmentation in aquatic environments through autocatalytic thermal oxidation initiated by solar radiation, which combined with wind and mechanical stress causes molecular chain scission. The authors also discuss how prior UV aging accelerates subsequent mechanical fragmentation, providing a mechanistic framework for understanding microplastic generation from larger plastic items in water.

2025 Vodosnabzhenie i sanitarnaia tehnika