Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Hydrophobic sorption behaviors of 17β-Estradiol on environmental microplastics

Researchers studied the sorption behavior of the estrogen 17beta-estradiol onto five types of microplastics in marine water, finding hydrophobic interactions dominated and that microplastics could serve as vectors concentrating this endocrine disruptor.

2019 Chemosphere 207 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic insights into the adsorption of endocrine disruptors onto polystyrene microplastics in water

Researchers studied the mechanisms by which polystyrene microplastics adsorb endocrine-disrupting compounds from aquatic environments, finding that hydrophobic interactions and surface chemistry govern the binding. The results clarify how microplastics act as vectors for co-transporting endocrine disruptors through aquatic ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Pollution 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as potential bisphenol carriers: role of adsorbents, adsorbates, and environmental factors

Laboratory experiments showed that four common microplastic types — polystyrene, polypropylene, polyamide, and PVC — all readily adsorb bisphenols (BPA, BPB, BPF, BPS), with polyamide showing the highest capacity. Adsorption was strongly influenced by polymer surface chemistry, bisphenol hydrophobicity, temperature, and salinity. Because bisphenols are potent endocrine disruptors, microplastics acting as their environmental carriers could amplify human and wildlife exposure through contaminated seafood and drinking water.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of endocrine disrupting compounds onto polyamide microplastics under different environmental conditions: Behaviour and mechanism

Polyamide microplastics sorbed the synthetic estrogens EE2, E2, and estriol with affinity influenced by pH, ionic strength, and temperature, with sorption capacity decreasing under alkaline conditions that mimic some aquatic environments, suggesting that water chemistry governs how effectively polyamide MPs concentrate endocrine-disrupting compounds.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Adsorption Affinity of Estrogens on LDPE and PET Microplastics Exposed to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents

Researchers investigated whether LDPE and PET microplastics recovered from wastewater treatment plant effluents can adsorb estrogen compounds, finding that these common plastic types bind endocrine-disrupting estrogens and may transport them through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 7 citations
Article Tier 2

[Sorption Characteristics and Site Energy Distribution Theory of Typical Estrogens on Microplastics].

This study examined how polyethylene microplastics adsorb six types of estrogens — hormones that can disrupt reproduction and development in animals and humans. Researchers found that PE microplastics readily bind multiple estrogens, with adsorption behavior depending on estrogen structure and water chemistry. These findings confirm that microplastics can act as carriers for hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment.

2023 PubMed 1 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

Adsorption and Desorption of Steroid Hormones by Microplastics in Seawater

Researchers evaluated the adsorption and desorption of the steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) onto microplastics in seawater, finding that polymer type, particle size, salinity, pH, and humic acid concentration all influenced sorption behavior. The study provides mechanistic data relevant to assessing microplastics as vectors for endocrine-disrupting compounds in marine environments.

2020 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 77 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

Mechanistic Insights into PFAS Adsorption on Microplastics: Effects of Contaminant Properties and Water Chemistry

Researchers investigated how two widely detected PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA, adsorb onto five common types of microplastics in aquatic environments. The study found that contaminant properties and water chemistry significantly influence adsorption behavior, confirming that microplastics can serve as carriers for PFAS transport in waterways.

2026 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and Desorption Behaviour of Polychlorinated Biphenyls onto Microplastics’ Surfaces in Water/Sediment Systems

Researchers evaluated the adsorption and desorption behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) onto polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics of varying sizes in marine water/sediment systems. Results showed that polymer type and particle size influenced PCB binding capacity, with microplastics acting as potential vectors for transferring persistent organic pollutants to marine biota through the food chain.

2020 Toxics 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption and dissipation of current-use pesticides and personal-care products on high-density polyethylene microplastics in seawater

Researchers characterized how three pesticides and three personal care products sorb onto high-density polyethylene microplastics in seawater. They found that more hydrophobic compounds accumulated more readily on the plastic, and that significant desorption (over 30%) occurred within 24 hours, especially at higher contaminant concentrations. The study confirms that microplastics can act as both carriers and releasers of chemical pollutants in marine environments.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

The seasonality of the concentration of endocrine phenolic compounds in the matter attached to the surface of microplastics

Researchers studied how endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A, octylphenol, and nonylphenol accumulate on microplastic surfaces in marine environments across different seasons. The study found that the biofilm and organic matter attached to microplastics concentrated these pollutants at levels 100 to 1,000 times higher than in surrounding water, with higher concentrations during warmer growing seasons. Evidence indicates that microplastics may increase organism exposure to harmful endocrine disruptors through the organic matter that colonizes their surfaces.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 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
Review Tier 2

The chemical behaviors of microplastics in marine environment: A review

This review summarized interactions between microplastics and organic pollutants and metals in the marine environment, covering sorption behavior across polymer types, the role of degradation in altering sorption capacity, and global monitoring data on pollutant concentrations on marine plastics. The authors conclude that microplastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions all strongly influence chemical accumulation on plastic surfaces.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 654 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

Sorption and bioacessibility of 17β-Estradiol on Environmental Microplastics: Particle Size, Aging, Competitive Interactions and Co-exposure

This study investigated the sorption of the hormone 17β-estradiol onto polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics, examining how particle size and aging affect sorption capacity and co-exposure toxicity. Smaller and aged MPs showed higher estrogen sorption, increasing the potential for MPs to act as vectors for hormonal contaminants in aquatic environments.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental contamination
Article Tier 2

Emerging pollutants sorbed on beach microplastics. Evaluation in the coast of gran canaria (spain)

Researchers evaluated the sorption of emerging pollutants including steroid hormones and UV filters onto beach microplastics collected from Gran Canaria, Spain, examining how microplastics act as vectors for endocrine-disrupting compounds and personal care product ingredients in coastal environments. The study found measurable accumulation of these contaminants on beach microplastics, demonstrating a combined pollution risk from plastic particles and their sorbed chemical cargo.

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

Microplastics as sorption materials of herbicides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a coastal bay

Researchers analyzed microplastics collected from the Bay of Brest in France and found that the particles had absorbed herbicides, persistent organic pollutants, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from surrounding waters. The type and amount of chemicals adsorbed varied depending on the plastic polymer and the environmental conditions. The study confirms that microplastics in coastal environments act as carriers for other harmful pollutants, potentially spreading contamination through marine food webs.

2025 Regional Studies in Marine Science 4 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
Article Tier 2

Bioavailability of steroid hormones sorbed on microplastics for aquatic organisms through biological fluids

This study examined how steroid hormones adsorbed to microplastics in water can desorb under simulated digestive conditions in aquatic organisms. The findings suggest that microplastics can serve as carriers delivering hormone-disrupting chemicals to organisms that ingest them, with potential implications for reproductive health in aquatic wildlife.

2020 Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Article Tier 2

Sorption of organic compounds by microplastic

This German thesis studied how common microplastic polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyamide sorb and accumulate hydrophobic organic contaminants, investigating the mechanisms that make plastics effective carriers of pollutants. Understanding sorption behavior is key to assessing how microplastics transport toxic chemicals into marine food webs.

2016 University of Vienna
Article Tier 2

Relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for the transfer of hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life

Researchers assessed the relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for transferring hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life. The study suggests that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of contaminants, factors like gut surfactants, pH, and temperature influence desorption rates, and modeling indicates other exposure routes may be more significant in natural environments.

2016 Environmental Pollution 410 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of polyamide microplastics as vector of parabens in the environment: An adsorption study

Researchers studied how polyamide microplastics adsorb parabens — preservatives commonly found in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals — and found that smaller plastic particles absorb significantly more of these chemicals. In real water samples including tap and wastewater, polyamide microplastics picked up 53–82% of parabens present, suggesting they act as carriers that could concentrate and transport these hormone-disrupting chemicals through aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 18 citations