Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants: Exploring sorption, desorption, and transfer to biota

This review explores how microplastics interact with hydrophobic organic chemicals in aquatic environments, examining the processes of chemical sorption onto and desorption from plastic particles. Researchers discuss the factors that influence whether microplastics act as significant carriers of environmental contaminants into living organisms compared to natural pathways. Understanding these processes is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risk that microplastics pose as chemical transport vehicles.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 632 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of persistent organic pollutants: Another effect of microplastic pollution?

This review examines how microplastics act as vectors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in aquatic environments, covering the physical and chemical factors governing pollutant adsorption and desorption. The authors discuss how interactions between microplastics and POPs vary with polymer type, particle properties, and environmental conditions, and when these interactions may result in toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

2022 Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and interaction of organic micropollutants with nano and microplastics – A review

This review analyzed the adsorption behavior of organic micropollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals — onto nano- and microplastics, finding that adsorption is governed by pollutant hydrophobicity, particle surface area, and aging state, and that microplastics can act as vectors delivering co-contaminants to aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 216 citations
Article Tier 2

Vector effects of microplastics on organic pollutants: sorption-desorption and bioaccumulation kinetics

This review synthesizes existing research on whether microplastics act as carriers that increase the bioaccumulation of organic pollutants in aquatic organisms. Researchers found evidence that microplastics can adsorb hydrophobic pollutants from water and release them in the gut of organisms that ingest them, potentially enhancing toxic effects. The study acknowledges the ongoing debate between vector and no-vector perspectives and outlines a consensus based on the available sorption, desorption, and bioaccumulation data.

2025 Chemosphere 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of contaminants

This review highlights the emerging role of microplastics as carriers of biological and chemical contaminants in water environments. Researchers note that while microplastic pollution is increasingly well-documented, the interactions between contaminants adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces and aquatic organisms remain poorly understood. The study stresses the need for further investigation into how microplastics may facilitate the transport and bioavailability of pollutants.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 331 citations
Review Tier 2

Physisorption and Chemisorption Mechanisms Influencing Micro (Nano) Plastics-Organic Chemical Contaminants Interactions: A Review

This review explains the chemical and physical mechanisms by which microplastics attract and carry organic pollutants like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals in the environment. The ability of microplastics to absorb these contaminants depends on factors like plastic type, particle size, weathering, and water conditions. Understanding these interactions is critical because when contaminated microplastics are ingested by organisms or humans, the absorbed chemicals can be released inside the body.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 295 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress on environmental occurrence of microplastics and their interaction mechanism with organic pollutants

This review summarizes how microplastics in the environment interact with organic pollutants—adsorbing, carrying, and releasing them. Microplastics act as mobile carriers for persistent organic chemicals, altering their distribution and toxicity in ecosystems and the organisms, including humans, that consume them.

2021 Scientia Sinica Chimica 4 citations
Review Tier 2

Uptake/release of organic contaminants by microplastics: A critical review of influencing factors, mechanistic modeling, and thermodynamic prediction methods

This review critically examines the ability of microplastics to absorb and release organic chemical pollutants, evaluating the factors that influence this process and existing predictive models. Understanding whether microplastics act as significant vectors for pollutants into food chains requires better thermodynamic models that account for real-world complexity.

2020 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction of Chemical Contaminants with Microplastics

This review examines how chemical contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals adsorb onto microplastic surfaces and are transported through the environment. Microplastics act as vectors that concentrate and move toxic chemicals, potentially amplifying human exposure through food and water.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastics with adsorbed contaminants: Mechanisms and Treatment

This review examines how microplastics adsorb environmental contaminants including heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens, and surveys treatment methods for removing contaminated microplastics from water. Researchers found that microplastics can act as vectors for hazardous substances, potentially increasing their bioavailability and toxicity in aquatic ecosystems. The study evaluates emerging remediation technologies and highlights the complex environmental risks posed by microplastics carrying adsorbed pollutants.

2021 Environmental Challenges 321 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of organic pollutants by microplastics: Overview of a dissonant literature

This review critically examines the scientific literature on how microplastics adsorb organic pollutants in aquatic environments. Researchers found significant inconsistencies across studies regarding the mechanisms and extent of pollutant uptake by microplastics, noting that factors like particle size, polymer type, and environmental conditions all play important roles. The study calls for more standardized research methods to better understand whether microplastics meaningfully increase human and wildlife exposure to these co-pollutants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 113 citations
Article Tier 2

The bioaccumulation effects of microplastics and associated organic pollutants in the aquatic environment

This review examined how microplastics in aquatic environments interact with organic pollutants through adsorption, affecting the bioaccumulation and toxicity of those pollutants in aquatic organisms due to the high hydrophobicity of microplastic surfaces.

2021 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments adsorb organic pollutants and metals onto their surfaces, effectively acting as carriers for other contaminants. Researchers found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and aging of the plastic significantly influence this sorption behavior. The findings raise concerns that microplastics may increase the bioavailability and toxicity of chemical pollutants in waterways.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 685 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Vectors of Chemicals and Microorganisms in the Environment

This review examines microplastics as vectors for chemicals and microorganisms in the environment, discussing the 'plastisphere' concept, hydrophobic surface interactions that facilitate pollutant adsorption, biofilm formation, and the mechanisms by which microplastics transport contaminants and pathogens through aquatic systems.

2020 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments: A mini review

Researchers reviewed the mechanisms of interaction between microplastics and organic compounds in aquatic environments, examining factors related to the plastics themselves, the organic compounds, and environmental conditions. The study found that properties like crystallinity, surface area, and weathering state of microplastics all influence how they adsorb and transport organic pollutants, with implications for environmental and health risk assessments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 290 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics: Unignorable vectors for organisms

This review examines the role of micro- and nanoplastics as vectors for contaminants — including heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens — in aquatic and terrestrial environments. It synthesizes evidence on how plastic particles can adsorb, transport, and release harmful substances, amplifying their ecological and health risks beyond the physical effects of the particles alone.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 205 citations
Article Tier 2

Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation

This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.

2019 Environmental Pollution 487 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in the marine environment: A state-of-the-science review

This state-of-the-science review examined whether microplastics serve as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in marine organisms. The study found that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of sorbed chemicals, their relative importance as an exposure route compared to other pathways like water and food remains an active area of research with varying conclusions depending on environmental conditions.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 476 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics with contaminants in freshwater systems: a review of characteristics, bioaccessibility, and environmental factors affecting sorption

This review examined how microplastics act as vectors for environmental contaminants in freshwater systems, analyzing the characteristics, bioaccessibility, and environmental factors that influence pollutant sorption onto plastic particles and their potential transfer to organisms including humans.

2023 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants on microplastics

This review summarizes the main mechanisms by which microplastics adsorb organic pollutants, including hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic forces, and hydrogen bonding. Researchers found that particle size, surface area, aging, and environmental factors like pH and temperature significantly influence how much pollution microplastics can carry. The study highlights the need for more field-based research to understand how microplastics behave as pollutant carriers in real environmental conditions.

2021 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 822 citations