Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a vehicle of exposure to chemical contamination in freshwater systems: Current research status and way forward

This review assessed the current state of research on microplastics as vectors for chemical contaminants in freshwater systems, evaluating evidence for and against the vector hypothesis and identifying the most important knowledge gaps, including the need for studies at environmentally realistic concentrations.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Systems: Dual Roles as Pollutant Carriers and Emerging Functional Materials for Water Treatment

This review examines microplastics from two angles: as carriers that absorb and transport other pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals, and as materials that could be engineered for water treatment. The dual-role perspective is important because microplastics do not just add their own chemical burden—they also redistribute other contaminants in ways that can increase toxicity far from the original pollution source.

2026 Water Air & Soil Pollution
Article Tier 2

Vector transport of microplastics bound potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in water systems

This study examines the vector transport of microplastics carrying potentially toxic elements (PTEs) through water systems, investigating how microplastics serve as carriers that mobilise and redistribute heavy metals and other contaminants across aquatic environments.

2022 Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Association of hazardous compounds with microplastics in freshwater ecosystems

This book chapter reviews how hazardous chemical compounds — including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals — associate with microplastics in freshwater ecosystems. Microplastics act as carriers for these compounds, potentially increasing their bioavailability to aquatic organisms and complicating risk assessment.

2020 IWA Publishing eBooks 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano- and microplastics in the environment : presence, effects and their role as a Trojan horse for other pollutants

This thesis reviews the presence and effects of nano- and microplastics in the environment, examining how they act as carriers for other pollutants and discussing their potential health impacts on ecosystems and humans.

2023 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of chemical contaminants and biological agents in freshwater ecosystems: Current knowledge status and future perspectives

This review examines how microplastics in freshwater ecosystems act as carriers for chemical pollutants and harmful microorganisms. Researchers found that pollutant concentrations on microplastic surfaces can be up to six times higher than in surrounding water, amplifying exposure risks for aquatic life and potentially humans. The findings highlight that microplastics are not just a pollution problem themselves but also a vehicle that spreads other contaminants through the food web.

2023 Environmental Pollution 162 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments

Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.

2020 Environmental Pollution 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on freshwater organisms: A laboratory approach

This thesis systematically examined how microplastics harm freshwater organisms both physically and by acting as carriers for chemical pollutants. The research found that both the physical presence of microplastics and the chemicals associated with them can negatively affect freshwater species.

2019 Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen
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

Sorption of pesticides onto polyethylene microplastics in different aqueous matrices

This thesis examined how pesticides adsorb onto polyethylene microplastics in different aqueous matrices, finding that water chemistry significantly affects the binding behavior and potential for microplastics to carry agricultural chemicals.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
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

Effect of microplastics on the environmental behavior of emerging contaminants in aquatic matrices

This study examines how microplastics affect the environmental behavior of emerging contaminants in aquatic systems. Microplastics can adsorb other pollutants and alter their bioavailability, potentially increasing or decreasing toxic effects depending on the chemicals and environmental conditions.

2023 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Fate of Emerging Contaminants with Microplastics Current Scenario, Sources and Effects

This review chapter covers the current state of microplastic contamination across marine and terrestrial environments, explaining how microplastics act as vectors for other pollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals — that accumulate on their surfaces. These contaminant-laden particles are consumed by marine organisms and travel up the food chain, reaching human food sources. The work underscores that microplastics are not just a physical hazard but also a chemical delivery system that amplifies the toxic burden on ecosystems and people.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Do microplastics mediate the effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms?

This review examined whether microplastics act as vectors for chemical contaminants in aquatic organisms, finding that while chemicals can sorb to microplastics, the evidence for microplastics significantly enhancing chemical toxicity in natural settings remains limited.

2021 Aquatic Toxicology 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Surface Waters: A Critical Review of Emerging Challenges and Future Perspectives

This review examines microplastic contamination across aquatic environments, covering detection technologies, ecological risks from ingestion by wildlife and transfer through food webs, and how microplastics serve as vectors for pesticides, heavy metals, and chemical pollutants.

2025 Environmental Quality Management
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

Benthic macroinvertebrates and microplastic contamination in contrasting water quality environments of the Middle Tietê River basin (São Paulo, Brazil)

Researchers compared microplastic contamination in benthic invertebrates and sediments between a heavily polluted urban river and a cleaner tributary in São Paulo, Brazil. Higher microplastic concentrations were found near urban areas, confirming that human activity drives plastic accumulation in freshwater ecosystems.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Emerging contaminants, including microplastics, in surface waters : uses of watersheds and impacts on the environment

This thesis investigated emerging contaminants including microplastics in surface waters across different land use types in Brazil, examining how watershed activities influence contamination levels in rivers and streams.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater ecosystems : effects and drivers

This thesis assessed how microplastic exposure affects freshwater microorganisms, macroinvertebrates, and other organisms in freshwater ecosystems, finding that microplastics are a pervasive contaminant of freshwater environments with unclear but potentially significant ecological impacts.

2024 Acta universitatis agriculturae Sueciae
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as potential vectors for selected organic chemical pollutants in river ecosystems

This study examined microplastics as vectors for organic chemical pollutants in African river ecosystems, where research on this topic remains sparse. Microplastics sampled from rivers adsorbed multiple organic pollutants, confirming their role as carriers that may concentrate and transport contaminants through freshwater food webs.

2024
Article Tier 2

Degradable Microplastics as Vector of Emergent Contaminants in Wastewater: Interactions and Mechanisms of Adsorption

Degradable microplastics in wastewater can act as carriers for pesticides and other contaminants, adsorbing them from the surrounding water and potentially releasing them again in different environmental conditions such as aeration tanks. This 'Trojan horse' behavior is concerning because microplastics may transport pollutants through wastewater treatment systems that were not designed to capture these combined threats.

2023 Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation
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

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
Article Tier 2

Partitioning Of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants And Microbial Communities On Microplastics

This study examined how hydrophobic organic contaminants and microbial communities partition onto microplastics in aquatic environments. Microplastics were found to concentrate toxic chemicals and harbor distinct microbial communities compared to surrounding water, reinforcing their role as vectors for pollutants.

2019