Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Risky Object? How Microplastics Are Represented in the German Media

Analysis of German print media coverage of microplastics from 2012 to 2019 found a shift from framing microplastics as a distant marine problem to a personal health risk, with the discovery of microplastics in human bodies driving increased alarm and calls for precautionary regulatory action.

2021 Science Communication 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the health risks from flooding and chemical contamination: a scoping review

A scoping review of 110 papers on flooding and chemical contamination found evidence primarily on heavy metals, PAHs, and arsenic, with notable gaps in rural exposure data, pesticide mobilization studies, and models mapping human exposures for vulnerable populations.

2024 European Journal of Public Health
Article Tier 2

The influence of media narratives on microplastics risk perception

Researchers examined how media narratives about microplastic pollution influence public risk perception. The study argues that accurate and balanced reporting is essential to prevent misinformation and ensure people clearly understand the risks associated with microplastics. The findings suggest that understanding public perceptions can help design better interventions to reduce plastic consumption and its associated health and environmental impacts.

2023 PeerJ 14 citations
Article Tier 2

On the Creation of Risk: Framing of Microplastics Risks in Science and Media

This study analyzes how microplastic risks are framed in scientific literature and media coverage, finding that scientific uncertainty is often amplified into public alarm through media framing, and examining the social construction of environmental risk in the absence of definitive toxicological evidence.

2019 Global Challenges 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Crisis and Risk Communication Research in Germany

This paper reviews crisis and risk communication research in Germany, examining how environmental and health risks—including those from emerging contaminants—are communicated to the public and how communication strategies influence risk perception and precautionary behavior.

2025
Article Tier 2

Evaluierung einer interdisziplinären Methodik zur hydrotoxikologischen Bewertung schadstoffbehafteter Sedimente nach Resuspensionsereignissen

This German study evaluated interdisciplinary methods for assessing the ecotoxicological risk of contaminated sediments when they are disturbed and resuspended into the water column during flood events. The research helps implement European Water Framework Directive requirements for assessing how sediment-bound pollutants affect water quality.

2016 RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen)
Article Tier 2

An environmental problem in the making: how media logic molds scientific uncertainty in the production of news about artificial turf in Sweden

Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists, editors, public officials, politicians, industry representatives, and experts in Sweden to examine how media logic shapes news coverage of artificial turf as a microplastic pollutant, finding that media framing conventions drive interpretations of scientific uncertainty and amplify the issue as an environmental problem.

2023 Journal of Science Communication 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Telling stories about (micro)plastic pollution: Media images, public perceptions and social change

This paper examines how microplastic pollution has been framed in media reporting and how the public understands the issue, finding that culturally embedded ideas about risk and health shape people's responses. Understanding media framing and public perception is important for designing effective communication strategies around microplastic contamination.

2018
Article Tier 2

Framing narratives in news discourse: A comparative study of western and eastern media

A comparative discourse analysis of Western and Eastern news media coverage of major global events found systematic differences in framing strategies, ideological emphases, and narrative structures that reflect distinct journalistic norms and cultural contexts—with implications for how media shapes public understanding of issues including environmental topics.

2025 International Journal of Humanities and Education Research
Article Tier 2

How Are Microplastics Represented in the Korean Media? : An Analysis Based on Reporting Periods, Political Inclinations and Uncertainty

An analysis of 514 South Korean news articles about microplastics from 2018 to 2023 found that media coverage focused heavily on health and environmental risks while rarely acknowledging the scientific uncertainty that still surrounds microplastic hazards. Coverage shifted after a 2021 government anti-plastics policy announcement, moving from problem-framing toward response-framing, with progressive outlets emphasizing regulation and conservative outlets emphasizing research and technology. The study warns that consistent omission of uncertainty in media reporting may suppress public scientific debate and lead to poorly calibrated risk perceptions.

2024 Korean Journal of Communication & Information 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial analysis of riverine microplastic in a Rhine floodplain soil in Germany

Researchers mapped microplastic distribution in floodplain soils along Germany's Rhine River, finding that flood events spread microplastics far from the riverbank into surrounding land. This shows flooding can contaminate agricultural soils with microplastics, potentially entering food crops.

2021
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in Rhine floodplains: process and patterns of deposition, distribution and vertical migration in the soil

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution and vertical migration in three Rhine floodplains near Cologne, Germany, examining lateral distribution patterns, whether meadow vegetation filters microplastics during flooding, and vertical depth profiles in floodplain soils. The study found that microplastics deposit during flood events, with both lateral distance from the river and vegetation cover influencing spatial distribution and vertical penetration in floodplain soils.

2024
Article Tier 2

Media Issue Crystallization: The Case of Microplastic in Denmark

This study examined how Danish news media constructed and framed microplastic pollution as an emerging environmental issue, analyzing the process by which a complex scientific problem becomes a public concern. Media framing of microplastics influences public awareness and political action on plastic pollution.

2021 Environmental Communication 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A new holistic perspective to assess the ecological risk of microplastics: A case study in Baiyangdian Basin, China

Researchers developed a more comprehensive method for assessing the ecological risks of microplastic pollution by considering not just concentration but also the physical and chemical properties of the particles. Applied to a Chinese wetland basin, the approach revealed that traditional methods significantly underestimate the true ecological risk, with human activity and poor water flow contributing to the highest danger zones.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 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

Filter effect of Rhine floodplain vegetation on microplastic deposition during a single flood event in Germany

Researchers studied how Rhine floodplain vegetation filtered microplastic deposition during a single flood event in Germany, documenting that plant cover created distinct spatial deposition patterns and acted as a significant physical barrier concentrating particles compared to unvegetated floodplain surfaces.

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

Microplastics in floodplain soils along the rhine river in germany

Researchers quantified microplastic pollution in floodplain soils along the Rhine River in Germany, examining how this transitional environment between terrestrial and freshwater systems accumulates plastics transported during flood events. The study addressed a gap in knowledge about floodplain soils compared to more commonly studied agricultural soils.

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

Integrative Evaluation of the Ecological Hazards by Microplastics and Heavy Metals in Wetland Ecosystem

Researchers conducted an integrative ecological hazard assessment of microplastics combined with heavy metals, evaluating their combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. The study found that co-contamination with heavy metals and microplastics poses greater ecological risk than either pollutant alone.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-method analysis of microplastic distribution by flood frequency and local topography in Rhine floodplains

Researchers used multiple analytical methods to examine how flood frequency and local topography influence microplastic distribution in Rhine River floodplains. The study found that floods can mobilize, transport, and redeposit microplastics in floodplain sediments, making these areas both temporary sinks and potential sources of microplastic pollution.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Why analysing microplastics in floodplains matters: application in a sedimentary context

This study examined microplastic distribution and accumulation in floodplain areas of Germany, finding that floodplains trap and concentrate microplastics during flood events and serve as long-term storage sites. Floodplains are an important but underappreciated environmental compartment for microplastic accumulation that can release particles back into rivers during future floods.

2020 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of ecological risk for ecosystems caused by dredged materials in freshwater environments

Researchers assessed ecological risks posed by chemical contaminants in dredged freshwater sediments, evaluating metals, organic pollutants, and emerging contaminants including microplastics across multiple risk metrics to inform safe disposal and management decisions.

2024 Global Journal of Ecology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparative study of frames and narratives identified within scientific press releases on ocean climate change and ocean plastic

Researchers analyzed over 300 scientific press releases about ocean climate change and ocean plastic pollution to understand how research institutions communicate these topics to the public. They found that ocean plastic stories tended to focus on health risks and actionable solutions, while ocean climate change stories emphasized environmental and economic consequences. The study reveals that how scientific issues are framed in press releases shapes public understanding and engagement with these environmental challenges.

2024 Journal of Science Communication 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Survey instructions bias perceptions of environmental health risks

This study found that the framing and instructions used in environmental health risk surveys significantly bias how respondents perceive and rank risks, with implications for how governments measure and respond to public risk perceptions.

2024
Article Tier 2

Toward an ecotoxicological risk assessment of microplastics: Comparison of available hazard and exposure data in freshwaters

Researchers compiled available exposure and toxicity data to perform the first probabilistic risk assessment of microplastics specifically in freshwater environments. The study found that while current concentrations in most freshwaters may not yet pose widespread ecological risk, localized hotspots could exceed harmful thresholds, highlighting the need for more standardized freshwater monitoring.

2018 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 188 citations