Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

New brominated flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in water sediments: A review of contamination characteristics, exposure pathways, ecotoxicological effects and health risks

This review examines DBDPE, a newer flame retardant chemical that is increasingly found in water sediments worldwide as it replaces older banned compounds. Evidence indicates that DBDPE concentrations are rising rapidly and the chemical poses ecological and health risks through bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. The findings are relevant to microplastic research because flame retardants are common plastic additives that leach into the environment.

2023 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in water, suspended particulate matter and sediment of reservoirs and their tributaries in a large city of South China

Researchers measured 12 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in water, suspended particulate matter, and sediment across four South China reservoirs during dry and wet seasons. They found significantly higher PBDE concentrations in the dry season, identified commercial penta-, octa-, and deca-BDE mixtures as dominant sources linked to electronic manufacturing, and flagged BDE-209 in sediment as a particular ecological concern.

2022 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Emerging Pollutants in China

Researchers mapped the spatial distribution of four types of emerging pollutants in China's water environment, including microplastics, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, and perfluorinated compounds. They found that pollution levels correlate with regional economic development, with the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region showing significantly higher contamination. The study provides a reference framework for emerging pollutant prevention and control across China.

2023 Water 8 citations
Article Tier 2

PBDEs in the marine environment: Sources, pathways and the role of microplastics

This review quantifies the oceanic sources and pathways of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of brominated flame retardants used in plastics. Researchers estimate that 3.5 to 135 tonnes of PBDEs enter the ocean annually through atmospheric deposition and river transport, while 360 to 950 tonnes per year enter bound to marine plastics and microplastics. The study suggests that while atmospheric PBDE inputs are expected to decline as these chemicals are phased out, the legacy of contaminated plastics already in the ocean remains a significant ongoing source.

2022 Environmental Pollution 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the Spatiotemporal Variations, Source Determination, and Potential Ecological Risk of Organophosphate Esters in Typical Coastal Tourist Resorts in China

This study analyzed the spatial distribution and ecological risk of twelve organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants in water and sediment from nineteen coastal tourist resorts along China's Shandong Peninsula. OPEs are plastic additives and flame retardants that leach from plastic products into the environment, and their co-occurrence with microplastics in coastal waters represents a combined chemical pollution concern.

2023 Water 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic pollutants in sedimentary microplastics from eastern Guangdong: Spatial distribution and source identification

Researchers examined the spatial distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides sorbed to microplastic pellets, fragments, and foam collected from eastern Guangdong beaches, evaluating whether pellets alone can serve as reliable proxies for global monitoring of hydrophobic organic contaminants.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 65 citations
Article Tier 2

The contamination of microplastics in China's aquatic environment: Occurrence, detection and implications for ecological risk

This review summarized microplastic contamination across marine environments, freshwater systems, and wastewater treatment plants in China, one of the world's top plastic-producing countries. The study highlights that research on how microplastics transfer between connected water environments remains lacking, and the microscale toxicity of microplastics is still poorly understood.

2021 Environmental Pollution 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential risk of co-occurrence of microplastics and chlorinated persistent organic pollutants to coastal wetlands: Evidence from a case study

Researchers investigated the co-occurrence of microplastics and chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in coastal wetlands of Zhejiang, China, finding microplastics in 100 percent of samples. Although wetland microplastic levels were lower than other land types, the plastics showed strong capacity to adsorb and concentrate toxic organic chemicals. The study highlights the combined contamination risk that microplastics and persistent pollutants pose to sensitive coastal ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Pollution 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The sorption of persistent organic pollutants in microplastics from the coastal environment

Researchers sampled microplastic pellets from six beaches around Taiwan and measured concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (dioxins, PCBs, PBDEs) on their surfaces, finding that pellets accumulated significant POPs loads with concentrations that correlated with proximity to industrial areas.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in mangrove sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, South China: Correlation with halogenated flame retardants' levels

Microplastic concentrations in Pearl River Estuary mangrove sediments were high by global standards, averaging 851 items per kilogram, and significantly correlated with population density and GDP in the region. Several types of halogenated flame retardants in the sediments were also correlated with microplastic abundance, suggesting shared pollution sources.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 146 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrences of organophosphorus esters and phthalates in the microplastics from the coastal beaches in north China

Researchers investigated organophosphorus esters and phthalates associated with microplastics collected from 28 coastal beaches across the Bohai and Yellow Sea in northern China, finding that these plastic-associated chemical pollutants may transfer to organisms via plastic ingestion.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 176 citations
Article Tier 2

Brominated Flame Retardants, Microplastics, and Biocides in the Marine Environment: Recent Updates of Occurrence, Analysis, and Impacts

This review provides a comprehensive overview of three groups of emerging marine contaminants — brominated flame retardants, microplastics, and biocides — covering their occurrence in seawater, sediment, and biota, and their adverse effects on marine ecosystems and human health.

2018 Advances in marine biology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Persistent organic pollutants carried on plastic resin pellets from two beaches in China

Researchers found that plastic resin pellets collected from two Chinese beaches contained significant concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, and other persistent organic pollutants sorbed to their surfaces. The findings confirm that plastic pellets act as vectors for long-range transport of multiple classes of hydrophobic chemical contaminants in marine environments.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 209 citations
Article Tier 2

Kelp forest food webs as hot spots for the accumulation of microplastic and polybrominated diphenyl ether pollutants

Researchers measured microplastic and polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations across trophic levels in kelp forest food webs, identifying these ecosystems as hotspots for the accumulation of both contaminant classes.

2024 Environmental Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and co-occurrence of microplastics and co-existing pollutants in bottom water and sediment of the East China Sea

This study characterized the co-occurrence of microplastics and co-existing pollutants (heavy metals and plastic additives) in bottom water and sediment of the East China Sea. Microplastics were widely distributed and carried adsorbed chemical contaminants at concentrations posing potential ecological risks, with plastic-associated pollutants correlated with specific polymer types and particle aging states.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution research methodologies, abundance, characteristics and risk assessments for aquatic biota in China

Researchers reviewed the current state of microplastic pollution research in China's aquatic environments, covering detection methods, abundance data, characteristics, and risk assessments for aquatic organisms. The review highlights that China's marine and freshwater environments are seriously polluted by microplastics, with ingestion by aquatic organisms posing potential ecological harm.

2020 Environmental Pollution 154 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastic pollution in seawater, sediments and organisms of the Chinese coastal and marginal seas

This review compiled microplastic abundance and characteristics data from seawater, sediments, and marine organisms across China's coastal and marginal seas, finding widespread contamination linked to China's extensive plastic production and mismanaged waste streams.

2021 Chemosphere 211 citations
Article Tier 2

PAEs and PBDEs in plastic fragments and wetland sediments in Yangtze estuary

Researchers quantified phthalates (PAEs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in plastic fragments and wetland sediments from the Yangtze Estuary, finding ΣPAE concentrations of 26.8-4241.8 µg/g and ΣPBDE concentrations up to 250.1 µg/g in plastic samples, confirming that plastic debris acts as a reservoir for these hazardous additives in estuarine environments.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Interrelationship Between Microplastics and Polychlorinated Biphenyls Contamination in Chinese Mangrove Sediment

Researchers quantified polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations on microplastics extracted from mangrove sediments across representative sites in China, investigating the interrelationship between MP pollution dynamics and PCB contamination in these critical intertidal ecosystems. The study reveals how mangrove sediments accumulate both MPs and co-associated hydrophobic organic contaminants, highlighting combined pollution risks.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Article Tier 2

Hydrophobic organic contaminants affiliated with polymer-specific microplastics in urban river tributaries and estuaries

Researchers measured hydrophobic organic contaminants affiliated with different types of floating microplastics collected from tributaries and estuaries in the Pearl River Delta, South China. The study found that contaminants were highly concentrated in microplastics, with polyethylene carrying the largest share of pollutant outflow to coastal waters, suggesting that microplastics serve as significant transport vectors for toxic chemicals in aquatic environments.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Behaviors, Ecological Risks, and Toxic Mechanisms of Emerging and Legacy Contaminants in China: From Distribution to Management

Researchers reviewed the environmental distribution, ecological risks, and toxic mechanisms of both emerging and legacy contaminants in China's aquatic environments, examining how industrialization and urbanization drive the co-occurrence and combined pollution that threatens ecosystem integrity and human health.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Presence and partitioning properties of the flame retardants pentabromotoluene, pentabromoethylbenzene and hexabromobenzene near suspected source zones in Norway

Researchers detected three brominated flame retardants in environmental samples near suspected source areas in Norway, finding they partition between air, water, and soil in ways consistent with other persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals, which can adsorb onto microplastics, are environmental contaminants of concern due to their persistence and potential toxicity.

2010 Journal of Environmental Monitoring 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Elucidating the role of microplastics as reservoirs of brominated flame retardants in river sediment

This study measured brominated flame retardant chemicals — persistent and toxic pollutants — on microplastics isolated from river sediments collected over 12 months above and below a wastewater treatment plant. Microplastics carried less than 1% of the total flame retardant load in sediments, suggesting they play a minor role as pollutant vectors compared to the sediment itself. However, higher microplastic and chemical concentrations were consistently found downstream of the treatment plant, pointing to wastewater discharge as a key contamination source.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Spatial Distribution and Ecological Risk of Microplastic Contamination in River Water Near a Landfill Leachate Disposal Area: A Case Study of Supit Urang Landfill, Malang City, Indonesia

Researchers mapped the spatial distribution and ecological risk of microplastic contamination across river sediments in a Chinese river system, finding risk levels varied with proximity to urban centers and industrial zones, and that certain polymer types posed elevated ecological hazard.

2025 Jurnal Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Alam dan Lingkungan (Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Management)