Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Cellular and Systemic Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals—What We Know So Far

This review summarized known cellular and systemic effects of micro- and nanoplastics in mammals, finding that while ingestion is common, knowledge of health impacts remains limited, with oxidative stress and inflammation as the most reported biological responses.

2023 Materials 13 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of the Toxicokinetics of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammals Following Digestive Exposure

This systematic review summarizes existing research on what happens to micro and nanoplastics after mammals ingest them through food and water. The evidence shows these particles can survive digestion and potentially cross into tissues and organs, raising important questions about long-term health effects from the microplastics we unknowingly consume every day.

2025 Applied Sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential adverse health effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics on humans. Lessons learned from in vivo and in vitro mammalian models

This review compiles recent studies on the effects of ingested micro- and nanoplastics using mammalian in vivo and in vitro models to assess potential human health implications. The authors found that while substantial research effort has been made, significant gaps remain in understanding absorption, biodistribution, and toxicity of these particles in mammalian systems. The review provides recommendations for improved testing methods to generate more relevant and targeted data for human risk assessment.

2019 Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part B 272 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics sources, fate, and effects: What we know after ten years of research

Researchers summarized a decade of advances in micro- and nanoplastic (MnP) research, documenting how these particles have been found in every environment on Earth — including air, snow, soil, and human tissue — and in thousands of species, with confirmed harmful effects. The review highlights major breakthroughs in detection methods while noting that the full scope of health impacts, especially at the nano scale, is still being uncovered.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 239 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue

This review examined methods for detecting nano- and microplastics in mammalian tissue, surveying analytical approaches as concerns grow about accumulation in biological systems. The paper discussed how continuous fragmentation and environmental accumulation are increasing the likelihood of tissue uptake across multiple organ systems.

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

Research advances of microplastics and potential health risks of microplastics on terrestrial higher mammals: a bibliometric analysis and literature review

This review combines data analysis with a literature survey to map the rapid growth of microplastics research, noting a shift in focus from marine environments to land-based ecosystems and health risks in mammals, including humans. The review highlights that microplastics can accumulate in organs, trigger inflammation, disrupt hormones, and damage the gut and reproductive systems in animal studies. These findings underscore the urgency of understanding how chronic microplastic exposure may affect human health.

2023 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Current research trends on micro- and nano-plastics as an emerging threat to global environment: A review.

This review summarizes the current knowledge on micro- and nanoplastics as emerging global pollutants, covering their distribution across terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments, their persistence, and the health risks from their chemical additives. It identifies key research gaps in understanding how MNPs move between environmental compartments and accumulate in living organisms.

2021 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Animal exposure to microplastics and health effects: A review

Researchers reviewed how microplastic exposure affects animals across terrestrial and aquatic environments, finding that species suffer physical harm, chemical contamination from pollutants that stick to plastic surfaces, inflammation, and behavioral changes. Because microplastics accumulate up the food chain, the review warns that animals entering the human food supply may carry these particles into our bodies.

2024 Emerging contaminants 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Health impacts of environmental contamination of micro- and nanoplastics: a review

This review summarizes the growing body of evidence on micro- and nanoplastic contamination across both marine and terrestrial ecosystems and its potential health effects. Researchers note that these tiny particles accumulate in animals along the food chain, and recent studies have detected microplastics in human stool samples, confirming human exposure through food and water. The study highlights that beyond the particles themselves, the chemical additives and pollutants that cling to plastics may pose additional health risks.

2020 Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 354 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics, an emerging health problem

This review frames micro- and nanoplastics as an emerging human health problem, synthesizing evidence of exposure routes, organ-level accumulation, and biological effects, and calling for updated regulatory frameworks to address this novel class of environmental contaminants.

2025 Environmental Research and Ecotoxicity
Article Tier 2

Environmental Fate and Ecological Risk of Micro- and Nanoplastics across Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

Scientists reviewed existing research on tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) and found they're spreading throughout soil, rivers, and oceans, where animals eat them and pass them up the food chain. These plastic particles cause stress and health problems in wildlife, but researchers still don't fully understand the long-term effects or how much exposure is dangerous. This matters because these same plastic particles can end up in our food and water, but we need better research methods to understand the real risks to human health.

2026 Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of the impacts of exposure to micro- and nano-plastics on human tissue accumulation and health

This systematic review found growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics accumulate in human tissues including lungs, gut, and blood, with lab studies showing potential disruption to immune, reproductive, endocrine, and nervous systems. The review identifies ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact as the three main exposure routes and highlights that the smallest nanoplastic particles pose the greatest concern due to their ability to cross biological barriers.

2023 Eco-Environment & Health 180 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological and toxicological manifestations of microplastics: current scenario, research gaps, and possible alleviation measures

This review examines the ecological and toxicological effects of microplastics and their associated contaminants across aquatic and terrestrial environments, identifying key knowledge gaps and potential mitigation strategies. The authors emphasize that both physical particle effects and co-transported chemical pollutants pose compounding risks to wildlife and ecosystems.

2020 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part C 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress of Microplastics

This review summarizes research progress on microplastics, covering their sources, distribution across environmental compartments, detection methods, and ecotoxicological effects on organisms. The authors highlight key knowledge gaps including the long-term fate of small microplastics and nanoplastics in terrestrial and aquatic systems.

2024 Engineering and Technology Journal 1 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Toxicological effects of micro/nano-plastics on mouse/rat models: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis pools data from mouse and rat studies to assess the toxic effects of micro and nanoplastics on mammalian health. The findings show that these particles can cause damage across multiple organ systems in lab animals, providing important evidence about the potential health risks that microplastic exposure may pose to humans.

2023 Frontiers in Public Health 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Environment: Uptake, Bioaccumulation and Impacts on Plants, Animals and Humans Health: A Review

This review examines microplastic uptake, bioaccumulation, and health impacts across plants, animals, and humans. The study summarizes current evidence on how microplastic particles smaller than 5 mm have been detected in all environmental compartments and are entering biological systems through multiple exposure pathways.

2026 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Mammalian Systems

This review summarizes recent findings on how micro- and nanoplastics affect mammalian health, drawing on mouse model experiments and human cell line studies. Researchers found evidence that these tiny plastic particles can disrupt gut microbiota, cause metabolic toxicity, and accumulate in tissues after ingestion or inhalation. The study suggests that long-term accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in human tissues could have negative health consequences that are not yet fully understood.

2020 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 805 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine litter: trends and impacts in marine fauna

This review synthesizes evidence on marine litter sources, distribution, and ecological impacts, with particular focus on microplastics as a pervasive contaminant across all marine habitats. It finds that microplastics threaten marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical transport, with impacts spanning trophic levels from plankton to large marine mammals.

2025 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Terrestrial mammals of the Americas and their interactions with plastic waste

Researchers reviewed 46 studies on plastic ingestion by terrestrial mammals across the Americas, finding documented plastic consumption in 37 species but highlighting a major methodological gap — only one study used standardized plastic detection methods — and calling for species-specific protocols to properly assess the scale of plastic pollution impacts on land-based wildlife.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Human Toxicity of Nano‐ and Microplastics

This review summarizes current evidence on the human toxicity of nano- and microplastics, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes and the biological effects documented in experimental systems. The authors assess the state of the evidence and identify key gaps for risk characterization.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Animals and Microplastics

This chapter reviews the wide range of animals known to ingest microplastics across terrestrial and aquatic environments, examining exposure pathways, habitat characteristics, and interactions that lead to plastic uptake. The review synthesizes evidence that microplastic ingestion is widespread across taxonomic groups and ecosystems globally.

2022 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and their potential toxicological outcomes: State of science, knowledge gaps and research needs

This review summarizes what is known about the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics in mammals, drawing from both cell studies and animal experiments. Evidence suggests these particles can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, gut disruption, and reproductive harm, with effects depending on particle size, shape, and chemical composition. However, most studies use uniform lab-made particles rather than the irregular plastics humans actually encounter, making real-world risk assessment challenging.

2023 NanoImpact 76 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of data for quantifying human exposures to micro and nanoplastics and potential health risks

This review synthesizes data on human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics through air, water, and food, and examines the potential health effects. Researchers found evidence of respiratory, liver, immune, and gastrointestinal impacts in humans and mammals exposed to elevated plastic particle levels, with toxicity varying by plastic type and size. The study highlights that while growing evidence links plastic particle exposure to health concerns, significant data gaps remain in quantifying actual human intake and long-term risks.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 203 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Environment: Uptake, Bioaccumulation and Impacts on Plants, Animals and Humans Health: A Review

This review comprehensively examines microplastic contamination across all environmental compartments including soil, air, water, and oceans, and their detection in food, animals, and humans. The study summarizes how humans are exposed to microplastics through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption, and discusses the bioaccumulation of these particles in plants, animals, and human tissues.

2026 International Journal of Environment and Climate Change