Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and heavy metals on the earthworm Eisenia foetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polypropylene microplastics and a heavy metal mixture (copper, chromium, and zinc) on the earthworm Eisenia foetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling. The study found that co-contamination exacerbated adverse effects on earthworm survival and soil nutrient dynamics compared to single-pollutant exposures, highlighting synergistic risks of combined microplastic and metal pollution in terrestrial ecosystems.

2022 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics and cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia foetida

Researchers studied the effects of microplastics alone and combined with the heavy metal cadmium on earthworms over 42 days. They found that both exposures reduced growth and increased mortality, with the combined treatment causing the most damage through increased oxidative stress. The study also revealed that microplastics can increase cadmium accumulation in earthworms by up to 161%, suggesting microplastics may worsen heavy metal contamination in soil ecosystems.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 330 citations
Article Tier 2

Cadmium and copper absorption by Eisenia fetida in the presence of different concentrations of microplastics

Researchers exposed earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to soil containing tire-derived microplastics alongside heavy metals cadmium and copper, finding that the microplastics increased the worms' uptake of both toxic metals. The results suggest that microplastics in soil act as carriers that make heavy metal contamination more bioavailable and dangerous for soil-dwelling organisms.

2023 Journal of Environmental Health Engineering
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and carbendazim on Eisenia fetida: A comprehensive ecotoxicological study

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pesticide carbendazim on earthworms and found that the two pollutants together caused worse damage than either alone. The combined exposure led to growth problems, oxidative stress, and organ damage even at lower concentrations. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and microplastics and pesticides commonly co-exist in farmland, these findings suggest that agricultural soil contamination could have cascading effects on the food system.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the toxicity effects of microplastics and cadmium on earthworms

Researchers evaluated the combined toxicity of microplastics and cadmium on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) using both short-term and long-term exposure experiments. They found that the co-exposure produced interactive toxic effects on antioxidant enzyme activity and caused DNA damage, with toxicity severity influenced by microplastic particle size and concentration. The study suggests that the presence of microplastics in contaminated soils can modify how heavy metals like cadmium affect soil organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics and Tcep pollutants in agricultural soil: Exploring the links between metabolites and gut microbiota in earthworm homeostasis

Researchers investigated the co-occurrence of polyethylene microplastics and the flame retardant TCEP in agricultural soils and their combined effects on earthworm health. The study found that co-exposure disrupted earthworm gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis, suggesting that the interaction between microplastics and chemical additives in agricultural soil may pose greater ecological risks than either contaminant alone.

2022 Environment International 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the joint toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida with cadmium by altering its availability

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium and found that co-exposure caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant alone, including increased avoidance behavior, weight loss, and DNA damage. The microplastics increased the bioavailability of cadmium in soil by up to 1.43-fold and boosted cadmium accumulation in earthworm tissue by up to 2.65-fold. The study demonstrates that microplastics can worsen heavy metal toxicity to soil organisms by making the metals more accessible for uptake.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polyethylene microplastics on bioavailability and toxicity of metals in soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect the bioavailability and toxicity of copper and nickel in soil using earthworms as test organisms. They found that adding microplastics to contaminated soil increased the bioavailability of the metals and enhanced their toxic effects on the earthworms. The study suggests that microplastics in soil can worsen heavy metal pollution by making metals more accessible and harmful to soil-dwelling organisms.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics insights into the combined effects of boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): The critical role of pesticide dose and microplastics size

Researchers studied the combined effects of the pesticide boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms, finding that the interaction between the two contaminants significantly altered earthworm metabolic profiles. The severity of effects depended on both the pesticide dose and the size of the microplastic particles. The study highlights that microplastics in agricultural soils may interact with pesticides to create synergistic toxic effects on soil organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Researchers compared single and combined pollutant exposures on the earthworm Eisenia fetida, finding that mixtures of pesticides, heavy metals, particulate matter, and microplastics can produce synergistic negative effects on survival and reproduction beyond individual pollutant impacts.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of organophosphate flame retardants and polyethylene microplastics on Eisenia fetida: Biochemical and molecular insights

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics, chlorinated flame retardants, and their combinations to assess combined toxicity effects. They found that the most toxic flame retardant (TDCPP) had its effects reduced when combined with microplastics, likely because the plastics absorbed the chemical and lowered its bioavailability. In contrast, microplastics enhanced the toxicity of another flame retardant (TCPP), demonstrating that microplastics can act as both carriers and modulators of co-contaminant toxicity in soil ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics from agricultural mulch and cadmium negatively impact earthworms by triggering neurotoxicity and disrupting homeostasis

Researchers exposed earthworms to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics from agricultural mulch film combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. The aged microplastics helped carry more cadmium into the earthworms' bodies, causing nerve damage, gut tissue injury, and disrupted metabolism. This study shows that microplastics in farm soil can make heavy metal contamination worse for soil organisms, with potential knock-on effects for the food chain.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmentally relevant mixtures of microplastics on terrestrial organisms

Researchers tested the effects of environmentally realistic microplastic mixtures on the earthworm Eisenia andrei and the springtail Folsomia candida as soil model organisms. Even at environmentally relevant concentrations, the microplastic mixture caused measurable negative effects on soil organism health and reproduction.

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

Earthworms on a microplastics diet

Researchers found that environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics added to plant litter on soil surfaces led to reduced growth and elevated mortality in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, and that earthworms may themselves transport ingested microplastics deeper into soils.

2016 Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the harmful effects of polyethylene microplastics on Eisenia fetida: A toxicological evaluation

Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to increasing concentrations of polyethylene microplastics in soil showed lower body weight, reduced reproductive output, and disrupted antioxidant defenses — with oxidative stress markers climbing nearly 1.3-fold at the highest dose. These findings confirm that microplastic pollution degrades soil ecosystem health at concentrations that could plausibly occur in contaminated agricultural land.

2023 Journal of Applied and Natural Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and nickel oxide nanoparticle on earthworm (Eisenia andrei): oxidative stress responses, bioavailability and joint effect

Researchers studied the combined toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and nickel oxide nanoparticles on earthworms over 28 days. They found that smaller microplastics caused greater oxidative stress, and the combination of both pollutants was more harmful than either one alone. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and metal nanoparticles in soil can amplify negative effects on soil-dwelling organisms.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics stress on soil physicochemical properties mediated by earthworm Eisenia fetida

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics of two sizes and found that smaller particles (13 micrometers) were more toxic than larger ones (130 micrometers), reducing survival and growth more severely. The microplastics caused oxidative stress in the worms and altered key soil properties including pH and organic carbon content. Since earthworms play a vital role in maintaining healthy soil for agriculture, this damage could affect soil quality and ultimately the food grown in microplastic-contaminated farmland.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A method to study the effects of combined stress of cadmium and microplastics on the acute toxicity of Eisenia fetida

Researchers developed an orthogonal test method to study the combined toxic effects of cadmium and microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida), providing a more rigorous experimental framework for assessing the ecotoxicological risks of co-contamination in soil ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmentally relevant mixtures of microplastics on soil organisms

Researchers exposed earthworms and springtails to environmentally realistic mixtures of microplastics commonly found in agricultural soils treated with sewage sludge. They found that earthworms ingested microplastics in proportion to exposure levels, and at higher concentrations, both species showed reduced reproduction. The study provides evidence that real-world microplastic mixtures in farm soils can affect important soil organisms at concentrations already found in the environment.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Researchers exposed earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to single and combined anthropogenic pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, and microplastics in a factorial design, finding that exposure to multiple pollutants simultaneously produced synergistic negative effects on earthworm fitness beyond what individual pollutant exposures predicted.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Bioavailability of (Semi-)Metals in the Soil Earthworm Eisenia fetida

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the uptake of cadmium and arsenic by earthworms in paddy soil. They found that microplastics altered the soil chemistry in ways that changed how much of these metals the earthworms absorbed, with effects varying by metal type and concentration. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated agricultural soils can influence how toxic metals move through the food chain.

2025 Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological impact of naproxen on Eisenia fetida: Unraveling soil contamination risks and the modulating role of microplastics

Researchers found that the common painkiller naproxen and microplastics together had different toxic effects on earthworms than either pollutant alone, with microplastics altering how the drug was metabolized and accumulated. Microplastics caused oxidative damage and changed lipid metabolism patterns in the worms, and these effects dominated when both pollutants were present together. Since soils contain both pharmaceuticals and microplastics from sewage and runoff, this study shows how these co-occurring pollutants can interact in unexpected ways that affect soil ecosystem health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of polyethylene microplastics on the growth, reproduction, metabolic enzymes, and metabolomics of earthworms Eisenia fetida

This study exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics in soil for 60 days and found that even when the worms appeared physically healthy, their internal enzyme systems and metabolism were significantly disrupted. The damage included signs of neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and reduced ability to break down harmful substances. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and crop growth, this disruption could indirectly affect the quality of food humans eat.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake of Potentially Toxic Elements in Microplastic-Contaminated Soils: A Controlled Laboratory Study Using Eisenia Fetida

Researchers exposed earthworms to tire-derived microplastics in soil and found that levels above 100 mg/g caused significant buildup of toxic heavy metals — including chromium, lead, tin, and zinc — inside the worms' bodies. This shows microplastics act as carriers that help move harmful metals from soil into living organisms.

2025 Journal of Human Environment and Health Promotion 1 citations