Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Soil Increase Cadmium Toxicity: Implications for Plant Growth and Nutrient Imbalance

A pot experiment showed that adding polyethylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium made the toxic metal more available to plants, increasing cadmium uptake in both roots and shoots. The combined exposure reduced crop yields by up to 38% and disrupted the plant's ability to absorb essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. This research is important for food safety because it shows microplastics in farm soil can make heavy metal contamination worse, potentially increasing toxic metal levels in crops people eat.

2025 Water Air & Soil Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Co-Contamination of Microplastics and Cd on Plant Growth and Cd Accumulation

Researchers investigated how two types of microplastics, high-density polyethylene and polystyrene, at various concentrations affect cadmium uptake and toxicity in maize plants grown in agricultural soil. The study found that while polyethylene alone had no significant effect, polystyrene at higher doses altered cadmium accumulation patterns, suggesting that different plastic types may interact differently with heavy metals in soil.

2020 Toxics 239 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics increase cadmium uptake in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by altering the soil microenvironment

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that lettuce plants absorbed. The microplastics changed soil chemistry by lowering pH and increasing dissolved organic carbon, which made cadmium more available for plant uptake. This is concerning because it suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could make crops more contaminated with heavy metals, increasing the health risks for people who eat them.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics promoted cadmium accumulation in maize plants by improving active cadmium and amino acid synthesis

Researchers examined how polystyrene and polypropylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect soil chemistry and cadmium uptake in maize plants across two soil types. The study found that microplastics generally promoted cadmium accumulation in maize by reducing soil pH and increasing cadmium bioavailability, with effects varying by particle size depending on the soil type.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics increase cadmium absorption and impair nutrient uptake and growth in red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) in the presence of cadmium and biochar

This study tested how three common microplastic types affect a leafy vegetable (red amaranth) when combined with the toxic heavy metal cadmium. Polystyrene microplastics were especially harmful, increasing cadmium uptake by up to 158% while reducing the plant's ability to absorb essential nutrients like phosphorus and potassium -- meaning microplastics in farmland could make heavy metal contamination in food crops even worse.

2024 BMC Plant Biology 23 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Microplastics may increase the environmental risks of Cd via promoting Cd uptake by plants: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) plants absorb. This is concerning because it means microplastic pollution could make our food crops more contaminated with heavy metals, adding another health risk on top of the plastics themselves.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 164 citations
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Biochar Offsets Microplastic-Induced Cadmium Mobilization and Plant Accumulation in Contaminated Soils

This greenhouse study found that microplastics in soil can increase how much cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) is absorbed by crops. Adding biochar to the soil helped counteract this effect, reducing cadmium uptake by plants — a promising finding for protecting food safety in contaminated farmland.

2026 Water Air & Soil Pollution
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Microplastics on the Leaching of Nutrients and Cadmium from Soil].

A soil column experiment showed that polystyrene and polylactic acid microplastics at varying concentrations affected how nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and the heavy metal cadmium leach out of soil during simulated rainfall. Higher microplastic concentrations generally altered leaching patterns, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could change nutrient availability for crops and increase the mobility of toxic heavy metals into groundwater.

2024 PubMed 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Influences of coexisting aged polystyrene microplastics on the ecological and health risks of cadmium in soils: A leachability and oral bioaccessibility based study

This study tested whether the presence of aged microplastics in soil changes how easily the toxic heavy metal cadmium can enter the human body through accidental soil ingestion. The results showed that aged polystyrene microplastics actually reduced cadmium absorption in the stomach phase, though the effect varied by soil type. This suggests that the interaction between microplastics and other pollutants in soil creates a complicated picture for assessing human health risks.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics distinctly impact cadmium uptake and toxicity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In a study using the model plant Arabidopsis, polystyrene nanoplastics increased the uptake and accumulation of the toxic heavy metal cadmium in plant roots. The combined stress of nanoplastics and cadmium caused worse oxidative damage and growth problems than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because it means microplastics in agricultural soil could help toxic metals get into crops more easily, potentially increasing human exposure through food.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of soil microplastic contamination on maize (Zea mays) development and microbial dynamics

Researchers grew maize (corn) in soil contaminated with varying amounts of microplastics and found that higher microplastic levels disrupted soil bacteria and fungi, caused leaf damage like yellowing and tissue death, and led to elevated heavy metals in plant tissue above safe limits. The results point to serious risks microplastics pose to crop health, soil ecosystems, and food safety.

2024 Discover Environment 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Adsorption and Desorption Properties of Cadmium in Soil

Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics were found to reduce soil's capacity to adsorb cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in farmland soils could increase the mobility and risk of heavy metal pollutants.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytotoxic effects of polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium on the photosynthetic performance of maize (Zea mays L.)

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, affect photosynthesis in two varieties of maize. They found that microplastics generally worsened cadmium's negative effects on the plants' ability to capture light energy and convert it to growth, though responses differed between maize varieties. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils could amplify the harm caused by heavy metal contamination to crop productivity.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitigating potential of polystyrene microplastics on bioavailability, uptake, and toxicity of copper in maize (Zea mays L.)

This study found that polystyrene microplastics in soil actually reduced copper toxicity in maize plants by binding to the copper and making it less available for plant uptake. While this might seem beneficial, it means microplastics are changing how nutrients and metals move through agricultural soil in unpredictable ways. The findings highlight that microplastic contamination in farmland can alter the chemistry of soil in complex ways that affect crop nutrition and food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Soil–Plant Systems: Impact on Soil Properties and Cadmium Uptake in Lettuce

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in soil and its effects on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics combined with cadmium significantly decreased soil quality and that microplastics can alter cadmium uptake in plants, suggesting that co-contamination of agricultural soils with both pollutants may pose compounded risks to food crop safety.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

The original polyethylene microplastics inhibit the growth of sweet potatoes and increase the safety risk of cadmium

Researchers grew sweet potatoes in soils containing polyethylene microplastics and cadmium and found that microplastics inhibited plant growth and increased cadmium uptake into edible tubers, raising food safety concerns for crops grown in agriculturally contaminated soils.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing stress responses in potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps) exposed to a synergy of microplastics and cadmium: Insights from physiology, oxidative damage, and metabolomics

Researchers found that microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that mustard green plants absorbed, while also reducing crop yields and photosynthesis. Higher concentrations of microplastics made more cadmium available in the soil, leading to greater accumulation of the metal in the plants. This raises food safety concerns because vegetables grown in microplastic-contaminated soil could contain higher levels of toxic metals that are harmful to human health.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations