Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Phthalates and organophosphate esters in surface water, sediments and zooplankton of the NW Mediterranean Sea: Exploring links with microplastic abundance and accumulation in the marine food web

Phthalate esters and organophosphate esters were measured alongside microplastics in surface seawater, sediment, and zooplankton from Marseille Bay in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Co-occurrence of microplastics and plastic additive chemicals in multiple environmental compartments including zooplankton confirmed trophic transfer of both particle and chemical contaminants.

2020 Environmental Pollution 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Phthalates Be Considered as Microplastic Tracers in the Mediterranean Marine Environment?

This study assessed whether phthalate plasticizers could serve as tracers for microplastic pollution in Mediterranean coastal waters, examining their occurrence, distribution, and interactions with the marine environment in one of the world's plastic pollution hotspots.

2024 Environments 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion and Phthalate ester levels as plastic tracers in the Mediterranean Velella velella: a candidate plastic indicator for the pelagic neustonic environment

Researchers used Mediterranean fish and invertebrates as bioindicators of plastic pollution, correlating microplastic ingestion levels with phthalate ester concentrations in their tissues to validate the use of combined biological monitoring for tracking spatial and temporal trends in marine plastic contamination.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics, bisphenols, phthalates and pesticides in odontocete species in the Macaronesian Region (Eastern North Atlantic)

Researchers found microplastics in all 12 stranded odontocetes from six species in the Macaronesian Region, with fibers comprising 98% of particles, and detected bisphenols and DEHP at high concentrations in muscle tissue alongside pesticide residues in nearly all individuals.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Polymer composition of microplastics in marine organisms across trophic levels

Researchers reviewed data from 16 studies to examine which types of microplastics are found in marine organisms across different levels of the food chain. They found that polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were the most common polymers, with accumulation patterns varying between herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores. The study highlights how microplastic contamination is widespread throughout marine food webs, raising concerns about potential transfer to humans through seafood consumption.

2025 BIO Web of Conferences 2 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

Bioaccessibility of plastic-related compounds from polymeric particles in marine settings: Are microplastics the principal vector of phthalate ester congeners and bisphenol A towards marine vertebrates?

Researchers studied whether microplastics are a major pathway for delivering harmful plastic chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A to marine animals during digestion. They found that while microplastics do release these compounds under simulated gut conditions, the amounts were relatively low compared to other environmental sources. The study suggests that microplastics may not be the primary route of chemical exposure for marine vertebrates, though they still contribute to the overall burden.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between microplastics and phthalate esters as affected by microplastics characteristics and solution chemistry

The sorption of two phthalate esters onto polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics was studied under varying conditions, finding that sorption was influenced by polymer type, phthalate structure, temperature, salinity, and dissolved organic matter. The results provide mechanistic insight into how microplastics accumulate endocrine-disrupting phthalates from the environment.

2018 Chemosphere 278 citations
Article Tier 2

Contaminant occurrence, distribution and ecological risk assessment of phthalate esters in the Persian Gulf

This study measured phthalate esters, chemicals commonly used as plastic softeners, in water samples from the Persian Gulf and assessed their ecological risk. Several phthalate compounds were detected at levels that pose potential risks to aquatic organisms. These chemicals are classified as endocrine disruptors and possible carcinogens, and since they leach from microplastics in water, their presence highlights how plastic pollution can introduce harmful chemicals into marine environments and the seafood supply.

2023 PLoS ONE 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic ingestion and occurrence of bisphenols and phthalates in bivalves, fish and holothurians from a Mediterranean marine protected area

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination and plastic-related chemicals in bivalves, fish, and sea cucumbers from a Mediterranean marine protected area. Sea cucumbers that feed on sediment contained the most microplastics, while bivalves accumulated the highest levels of chemical plasticizers like bisphenols and phthalates. The study shows that even organisms in protected marine areas are exposed to significant microplastic and plasticizer contamination.

2022 Environmental Research 117 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemicals they carry transfer through marine food webs from lower to higher trophic levels, and what this means for human health given that people consume marine fish and seafood. It identifies microplastics as a vector for bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in ways that ultimately reach humans.

2018 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: A major source of phthalate esters in aquatic environments

Researchers demonstrated that microplastics are a major source of phthalate esters in aquatic environments, with PVC products leaching the highest concentrations and environmental factors like UV exposure and salinity increasing release rates.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from central Mediterranean Sea: A potential cause for endocrine disruption

Researchers examined plastic ingestion by Atlantic horse mackerel caught in the central Mediterranean, finding plastics in a substantial fraction of fish stomachs and identifying chemicals with known endocrine-disrupting properties in the ingested plastic types, raising concerns for both fish health and seafood safety.

2021 Environmental Pollution 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence and phthalate ester levels in neuston samples and skin biopsies of filter-feeding megafauna from La Paz Bay (Mexico)

Microplastic abundance and phthalate ester levels were measured in neuston samples and skin biopsies of fin whales and whale sharks in the Gulf of California, with plastic detected in 68% of net tows and PAE levels reaching 5291 ng/g dry weight in fin whale specimens.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion and plastic additive detection in pelagic squid and fish: Implications for bioindicators and plastic tracers in open oceanic food webs

Researchers examined microplastic ingestion in fish and squid from the open Northeast Atlantic and detected phthalate plasticizers in their tissues. Both fish species and all three squid species had ingested microplastics, with fibers being the most common type. The presence of plastic additives in these open-ocean species suggests that microplastic contamination and associated chemical exposure extend well beyond coastal areas into the deep ocean food web.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of alkylphenols and estrogens on microplastics in marine conditions

Researchers investigated the sorption of six endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including alkylphenols and estrogens — onto microplastics under marine conditions, supporting the hypothesis that microplastics act as a secondary contamination vector for aquatic organisms by concentrating pollutants.

2023 Open Chemistry 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of DDE, BP-3 and chlorpyrifos from microplastics to tissues in Dicentrarchus labrax

Researchers demonstrated trophic transfer of DDE, BP-3, and chlorpyrifos from contaminated microplastics to European sea bass tissues, providing evidence that microplastics serve as vectors for chemical contaminant bioaccumulation through the food chain.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in a freshwater food chain (Chlorella Pyrenoidosa-Daphnia magna-Micropterus salmoides) induced disturbance of lipid metabolism in fish

This study traced how nanoplastics and the common plasticizer chemical DEHP move through a freshwater food chain from algae to water fleas to fish. The nanoplastics accumulated at higher levels as they moved up the food chain, and the combined exposure caused liver damage and disrupted fat metabolism in the fish. Since humans eat fish at the top of food chains, this research shows how nanoplastics and their associated chemicals could build up through the food web and reach our plates.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of phthalates in Marseille Bay (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Researchers measured six phthalate plasticizer compounds in seawater from Marseille Bay over a full year, finding total concentrations of 130–1,330 ng/L dominated by DEHP, with elevated bottom-water levels in summer suggesting that resuspension of phthalate-laden sediment or plastic debris drives seasonal contamination patterns.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Reproductive Effects of Phthalates and Microplastics on Marine Mussels Based on Adverse Outcome Pathway

Researchers found that microplastics and the chemical plasticizer DEHP that leaches from them work together to disrupt reproductive function in female mussels by interfering with estrogen signaling and reducing hormone levels. While this study focused on marine mussels, DEHP is a known endocrine disruptor in humans as well, and the findings illustrate how microplastics can release harmful chemicals that affect hormone systems.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 13 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Functional and Clinical Endocrine Exposure to Human Health. Systematic Review.

This systematic review summarizes research on microplastics found in fish and seafood from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, focusing on potential hormonal and health effects in humans. The findings suggest that microplastic contamination in popular seafood species may expose consumers to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, which could interfere with hormones and overall health.

2024 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in tissue of marine organisms

This review summarizes microplastic detection across various marine organism tissues, cataloging accumulation in fish, invertebrates, and marine mammals and highlighting that ingestion and trophic transfer are widespread across marine food webs.

2024 Concilium
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of metals contamination in Mediterranean Sea

Researchers collected zooplankton from Mediterranean Sea sites and measured metal concentrations associated with ingested microplastics, finding elevated cadmium, lead, and nickel on MP surfaces compared to surrounding water, demonstrating that MP-bound metals become available to zooplankton and could biomagnify up the food chain.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Plasticizers as Microplastics Tracers in Tunisian Marine Environment

This study detected plasticizer compounds (phthalate esters and organophosphorus esters) in seawater and marine organisms from Tunisia, using them as tracers for microplastic contamination. Plasticizers leaching from microplastics into the marine environment can act as endocrine disruptors in fish and other wildlife.

2020 Frontiers in Marine Science 43 citations