Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Farmed Animals—A Review

This review summarizes research on microplastic contamination in farmed animals including fish, cattle, and poultry, finding that microplastics have been detected in their intestines, liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive organs. The particles disrupt gut bacteria, cause tissue damage, and carry toxic chemicals and pathogens. Since these animals are raised for human consumption, microplastics in livestock represent a direct pathway for plastic contamination to reach people through their diet.

2024 Microplastics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

From farm to fork: Microplastic contamination in the meat and dairy supply chain

This review evaluated the prevalence, pathways, and risks of microplastic contamination in meat and dairy products across the supply chain. Researchers found persistent microplastic presence in livestock tissues, poultry organs, processed meats, raw milk, and commercial dairy products, with common polymers including polyethylene and polypropylene, raising concerns about food safety from farm to fork.

2026 Current Research in Food Science
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Livestock Health: An Emerging Risk for Reproductive Efficiency

This review summarizes the growing evidence that microplastics and nanoplastics harm livestock reproductive systems through oxidative stress, hormone disruption, and organ damage. Farm animals are particularly important because contaminants in their bodies can transfer to humans through meat, milk, and eggs. The review warns that microplastic accumulation in livestock could create a hidden food safety risk through biological amplification up the food chain.

2023 Animals 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Farm animals as a critical link between environmental and human health impacts of micro-and nanoplastics

Researchers argue that farm animals — livestock exposed daily to microplastics and nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles under 5 mm and 1 micrometer, respectively) through contaminated feed, soil, and water — represent an understudied but critical link between environmental plastic pollution and human health risks through the food supply. The authors call for more research on how plastics transfer from agricultural environments through livestock into meat, dairy, and eggs consumed by people.

2024 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Connecting the Dots: Livestock Animals as Missing Links in the Chain of Microplastic Contamination and Human Health

This review highlights that farm animals are a missing link in understanding how microplastics move from contaminated soil and plants into the human food supply. Livestock can accumulate inhaled and ingested plastic particles, which may then transfer to people through meat, milk, and eggs. The authors call for standardized methods to measure microplastics in animal products to better understand this exposure pathway.

2024 Animals 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Livestock: Sources, Exposure Pathways, and Physiological Consequences

This review examined how microplastics enter livestock systems through contaminated soil, water, and feed, and assessed the resulting risks to animal health, food safety, and agricultural sustainability. The review highlights that livestock exposure pathways are numerous and that microplastic contamination of the food chain is a growing concern.

2024 Journal Of Advanced Zoology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in animal nutrition: Occurrence, spread, and hazard in animals

Researchers reviewed how microplastics — tiny plastic particles less than 5mm — move through the food chain and enter animals via contaminated food, water, and prey, potentially disrupting gut health, nutrient absorption, and hormonal function across fish, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. Because these effects can pass up the food chain, the review warns of human health risks from eating animal products contaminated with microplastics.

2024 Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Presence of Microplastics in Livestock Production: A Challenge for Animal Health and Sustainability

This review examines microplastic contamination in livestock production systems, summarizing evidence of microplastic presence in feed, water, and animal tissues, and discussing implications for animal health, food safety, and sustainability.

2025
Article Tier 2

Animal exposure to microplastics and health effects: A review

Researchers reviewed how microplastic exposure affects animals across terrestrial and aquatic environments, finding that species suffer physical harm, chemical contamination from pollutants that stick to plastic surfaces, inflammation, and behavioral changes. Because microplastics accumulate up the food chain, the review warns that animals entering the human food supply may carry these particles into our bodies.

2024 Emerging contaminants 117 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic pollution in breeding industry: Sources, distribution, impacts, and characterization techniques, mitigation strategies and future research directions

This review provides a comprehensive overview of microplastic pollution in the breeding and livestock industry, covering sources, distribution patterns, and potential impacts on animal and human health through the food chain. Researchers identified key gaps in current understanding of how microplastics move through farming environments and accumulate in livestock. The study calls for more systematic research to help the industry develop strategies for preventing microplastic contamination.

2024 Chemosphere 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential risk assessment and toxicological impacts of nano/micro-plastics on human health through food products

This review examined the potential risks and toxicological effects of nano- and microplastics on human health through food products, identifying key contamination sources in the food chain and their harmful impacts on the body.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic contamination in livestock production: Entry pathways, potential effects and analytical challenges

This review evaluates how micro- and nanoplastics enter livestock production systems through plastic mulching, waste fragmentation, and water runoff. The study suggests that these plastic particles can accumulate in livestock animals and potentially transfer up the food chain, though standardized analytical methods and comprehensive studies on livestock health effects are still lacking.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 55 citations
Review Tier 2

The sources and impact of microplastic intake on livestock and poultry performance and meat products: a review

This review examined how microplastics affect livestock and poultry health, productivity, and the safety of meat products. Researchers found that while lab experiments show microplastics can cause oxidative stress and inflammation at high concentrations, it remains unclear whether typical environmental exposure levels affect animal welfare or productivity. Microplastics were detected in animal tissues at levels that raise potential consumer safety concerns, though current detection methods are prone to contamination.

2025 Animal Production Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the food chain

This review examines how microplastics enter and move through the food chain, posing risks to animal health, human wellness, and ecosystems. Researchers found that microplastic contamination has been extensively studied in aquatic environments and marine species, but significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their accumulation and impacts in agricultural soils and plant systems. The study calls for more research on soil microplastic contamination to reduce food chain hazards.

2024 Microplastics 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Pathways and Veterinary Health Implications of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Emerging Contaminants from a One Health Perspective

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter animal-based food products including milk, poultry meat, and eggs, and what this means for both veterinary and human health from a One Health perspective. Researchers found that these particles have been documented in various livestock products, but significant gaps remain in understanding contamination from raw, unprocessed sources. The study emphasizes the need for standardized detection methods and farm-to-fork monitoring to identify real contamination sources and develop effective control strategies.

2026 Veterinary Sciences
Article Tier 2

Plastic contamination of the food chain: A threat to human health?

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human food chain through shellfish, inhalation, and other routes, and assesses what is known about their toxicity. The authors conclude that while larger microplastics appear to have low absorption and toxicity, nanoplastics may accumulate in tissues and potentially affect the nervous and reproductive systems, though effects in humans remain unproven.

2018 Maturitas
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution: Critical analysis of global hotspots and their impact on health and ecosystems

This review identifies global microplastic hotspots and examines how these tiny particles enter the human food chain through contaminated meat, dairy, seafood, and plant-based products. Once inside the body, microplastics can cause inflammation, hormonal disruption, oxidative stress, and potentially contribute to cancer and organ damage over time.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Animal Health and Nutrition

This review summarizes the current understanding of how microplastic ingestion affects animal health across multiple species including livestock, poultry, and aquatic organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of gut function in animals, with smaller particles posing greater risks due to their ability to cross biological barriers. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in feed and water sources is an emerging concern for animal agriculture and nutrition.

2024 Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Terrestrial Domestic Animals and Human Health: Implications for Food Security and Food Safety and Their Role as Sentinels

This review examines how farm animals and pets are exposed to microplastics, and what that means for human health. Livestock can accumulate microplastics in their tissues during their lifetime and from processing equipment, meaning meat and dairy products may contain plastic particles. Pets like cats and dogs, who share our living spaces, could serve as early warning indicators for the levels of microplastic exposure that humans face at home.

2023 Animals 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Micro and Nanoplastics in Modern Food Chain: an Inevitable Intervention

This review examines the growing presence of microplastics and nanoplastics throughout the modern food chain, summarizing known entry points, concentrations in food commodities, and potential health consequences of regular human dietary exposure.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastic and Related Chemicals: Emerging Contaminants in Environment, Food and Health Impacts

This review summarizes recent research on microplastic contamination found in all types of food, from seafood and produce to drinks and packaging, as well as in human blood, heart, placenta, and breast milk. Studies using mammals and human cells suggest microplastics can damage the lungs, kidneys, heart, nervous system, and DNA, though research is complicated by the many variables involved. The review highlights the growing evidence that microplastics and their chemical additives in food represent a real and widespread threat to human health.

2024 Toxics 13 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Far‐Reaching Impact of Microplastics on Agricultural Systems: Options for Mitigation and Adaptation

This systematic review examines how microplastics affect agricultural systems, from soil health and crop growth to farm animals and the food consumers eat. The research highlights that microplastic contamination in farming is widespread and may pose risks throughout the food supply chain, making it a concern for anyone who eats conventionally grown food.

2025 Land Degradation and Development 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in poultry: Sources, bioaccumulation and human health consequences

This review examines how microplastics enter and accumulate in poultry through contaminated feed, water, litter, and farm equipment. Researchers found that ingested microplastics can accumulate in birds' gastrointestinal tracts, livers, kidneys, and muscle tissues, disrupting metabolic, immune, and reproductive functions and potentially impairing growth and meat quality. The study highlights that contaminated poultry products may serve as a route of microplastic transmission to human consumers.

2026 Poultry Science
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics in edible tissues of livestock (cow and sheep)

Microplastics were found in edible tissues (muscle and liver) of cows and sheep, with detectable MP concentrations raising concerns about microplastic transfer into the human food chain through livestock consumption.

2023 3 citations