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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to UV-induced microplastics (MPs) aging leads to comprehensive toxicity
ClearLeaching behavior and toxic effect of plastic additives as influenced by aging process of microplastics
This review examined how environmental aging processes affect the leaching behavior and toxicity of plastic additives from microplastics. Researchers found that UV exposure, weathering, and biological degradation alter the physicochemical properties of microplastics, increasing the release of harmful chemical additives and potentially amplifying their toxic effects on organisms in the environment.
Enhanced biotoxicity by co-exposure of aged polystyrene and ciprofloxacin: the adsorption and its influence factors
This study found that polystyrene microplastics aged by sunlight absorbed significantly more of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin than fresh microplastics, and the combination was more toxic to organisms than either pollutant alone. The aging process created more surface area and chemical binding sites on the plastic particles. This is important because it means weathered microplastics in the real world can concentrate antibiotics and deliver higher toxic doses to organisms, potentially contributing to both direct toxicity and antibiotic resistance.
Single and combined toxicity assessment of primary or UV-aged microplastics and adsorbed organic pollutants on microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa
Researchers investigated the single and combined toxicity of polyamide microplastics with the pollutants sulfamethoxazole and dicamba on the green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa. They found that UV-aged microplastics caused different toxic effects than pristine ones, and that microplastics altered the bioavailability and toxicity of the co-occurring pollutants. The study suggests that environmental aging of microplastics changes their interactions with other contaminants, potentially affecting aquatic organisms in complex ways.
Complex release dynamics of microplastic additives: An interplay of additive degradation and microplastic aging
This study investigated how microplastics release their chemical additives -- including phthalates, bisphenol A, and flame retardants -- into water, especially under UV sunlight. The process is more complicated than simple leaching: sunlight both breaks down the additives and ages the plastic itself, which changes how fast chemicals are released. These findings matter because the toxic additives that leach from microplastics may pose a greater health risk than the plastic particles themselves.
Aged microplastics enhance their interaction with ciprofloxacin and joint toxicity on Escherichia coli
Researchers found that aged microplastics showed enhanced adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin compared to pristine particles, and that their combined exposure produced greater toxicity to E. coli at the molecular level than either pollutant alone.
Adsorption of levofloxacin by ultraviolet aging microplastics
Researchers studied how ultraviolet aging changes the ability of common microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic levofloxacin. The study found that UV-aged polystyrene, polyamide, and polyethylene microplastics all showed significantly enhanced adsorption capacity compared to their unaged counterparts, suggesting that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher pollutant loads.
Mechanistic insights into non-negligible toxicity evolution of microplastics under different aging processes
This review examines how different environmental aging processes, such as UV exposure, mechanical wear, and chemical weathering, change the physical and chemical properties of microplastics and alter their toxicity. Researchers found that aged microplastics and the chemicals they leach tend to be more harmful to organisms than fresh particles, causing growth inhibition and genetic damage. The findings suggest that the environmental risks of microplastics may increase significantly as they degrade over time.
Contaminant release from aged microplastic
Researchers exposed recycled plastic granules of polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene to simulated aging conditions including UV radiation and high temperatures. They found that aging significantly increased the rate at which chemical additives leached from the plastic particles into water, with UV exposure having the greatest effect. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals at much higher rates than fresh plastic materials.
Exploring Different Toxic Effects of UV-Aged and Bio-Aged Microplastics on Growth and Oxidative Stress of Escherichia coli
This study compared the toxic effects of UV-aged and bio-aged microplastics on aquatic microorganisms, finding that different aging processes alter MP surface properties in distinct ways that produce different patterns of toxicity to bacteria and algae in aquatic environments.
UV weathering alters toxicity and chemical composition of consumer plastic leachates
Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the toxicity and chemical makeup of leachates from eight types of consumer plastic products. They found that UV exposure increased cytotoxicity up to 13-fold, particularly for polyethylene leachates, and enhanced reactive toxicity by up to 82%. The increased toxicity was primarily linked to the release and transformation of organic chemicals rather than the microplastic particles themselves, highlighting UV weathering as a critical driver of plastic pollution hazards.
UV aging of microplastic polymers promotes their chemical transformation and byproduct formation upon chlorination
Researchers studied how UV aging of different microplastic polymers affects their behavior during water chlorination treatment. They found that UV aging significantly increased the reactivity of polyamide and polyester microplastics, promoting the release of harmful organic compounds and the formation of disinfection byproducts by more than 10-fold. The study reveals that weathered microplastics in drinking water systems may generate more toxic byproducts during standard chlorination than their pristine counterparts.
Photoaging enhances combined toxicity of microplastics and tetrabromobisphenol A by inducing intestinal damage and oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
Researchers found that UV-aged microplastics combined with the flame retardant TBBPA caused greater harm to roundworms than either contaminant alone. The photoaged microplastics had increased capacity to absorb the chemical and enhanced its toxic effects, including reduced growth, impaired reproduction, and intestinal damage. The study suggests that weathered microplastics in the environment may amplify the dangers of co-occurring chemical pollutants.
Environmental behaviors of microplastics in aquatic systems: A systematic review on degradation, adsorption, toxicity and biofilm under aging conditions
Aging processes like UV irradiation and physical abrasion alter microplastic surface properties, increasing their capacity to adsorb environmental pollutants while also enhancing leaching of toxic additives like phthalates, collectively amplifying the environmental toxicity of weathered microplastics.
New Insights into the Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aging Microplastics
This study showed that UV-aged polypropylene microplastics are significantly more toxic than fresh ones, absorbing more chemicals and generating more harmful reactive oxygen species in seawater. The aged particles caused greater damage to cell membranes in mussels compared to pristine plastics. Since most microplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, real-world exposure risks may be higher than laboratory studies using new plastics suggest.
Aging and adsorption behavior of PP-MPs for methylene blue and tetracycline in unitary and binary systems
The study compared how fresh and UV-aged polypropylene microplastics adsorb methylene blue dye and tetracycline antibiotic in both single-contaminant and combined systems, finding that aging and additives meaningfully altered adsorption behavior.
Impact of sequential UV-aging of microplastics on the fate of antibiotic (tetracycline) in riverine, estuarine, and marine systems
Researchers studied how sequential UV aging of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene microplastics, which mimics natural weathering, affects their ability to adsorb the antibiotic tetracycline under different water chemistry conditions. They found that aged microplastics adsorbed significantly more tetracycline than pristine particles, with the effect varying by water type and plastic polymer. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become increasingly effective at carrying antibiotic contaminants.
The fate, impacts and potential risks of photoaging process of the microplastics in the aqueous environment
This review examines how ultraviolet light from sunlight causes microplastics in water to age and change their physical and chemical properties, including surface texture, chemical structure, and water-repelling ability. Researchers found that photoaged microplastics become better at carrying other pollutants and may pose greater environmental risks than fresh plastics. The study highlights that aged microplastics can also increase biological toxicity and human exposure risks compared to their original form.
Effects of aging on environmental behavior of plastic additives: Migration, leaching, and ecotoxicity
This review examines how the aging and weathering of microplastics in the environment causes chemical additives like plasticizers, flame retardants, and antioxidants to leach out. As microplastics age through UV exposure, heat, and biological activity, they release these additives more readily, increasing the toxic risk to organisms. The findings are important because they show that older, weathered microplastics found in the real world may be more chemically hazardous than fresh plastics used in most lab studies.
Non-Negligible Effects of UV Irradiation on Transformation and Environmental Risks of Microplastics in the Water Environment
This review examines how UV irradiation drives photoaging of microplastics in aquatic environments, altering their surface chemistry, mechanical properties, and adsorption capacity for co-pollutants, and thereby amplifying their ecotoxicological risks beyond those of virgin plastic particles.
Recent advances on microplastic aging: Identification, mechanism, influence factors, and additives release
This review found that environmental aging transforms microplastic surface properties through abrasion, chemical oxidation, UV irradiation, and biodegradation, altering their environmental behavior and ecological risk. Aging also triggers the release of toxic plastic additives, but significant gaps remain between laboratory aging simulations and real-world conditions.
UV-B radiation aging changed the environmental behavior of polystyrene micro-/nanoplastics-adsorption kinetics of BDE-47, plankton toxicities and joint toxicities with BDE-47
Researchers examined how UV-B radiation aging changes the behavior and toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in marine environments. They found that 30 days of UV-B aging increased the surface roughness, hydrophobicity, and pollutant adsorption capacity of the particles, while also increasing their individual toxicity to marine plankton. The study suggests that environmentally aged microplastics may pose different and potentially greater ecological risks than pristine particles.
Unraveling the impacts of photolysis-induced aging microplastics on enhanced immunotoxicity and nephrotoxicity
Researchers compared the toxicity of pristine and sun-aged polyethylene and PET microplastics on kidney cells and immune cells and found that aged particles were up to 40 percent more toxic. The increased harm was attributed to environmentally persistent free radicals that form on plastic surfaces during UV exposure, which amplify oxidative stress inside cells. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the real environment may pose greater health risks than the pristine particles typically used in laboratory studies.
Aging amplifies the combined toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics and norfloxacin on human intestinal cells
Researchers investigated how environmental aging of polystyrene nanoplastics affects their combined toxicity with the antibiotic norfloxacin on human intestinal cells. They found that aged nanoplastics were taken up more readily by cells and significantly amplified the harmful effects of the antibiotic, including increased cell damage. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics in the environment may pose greater health risks than fresh particles, especially when combined with other contaminants.
Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants
Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.