Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastic and benzophenone-4 on the bioaccumulation, feeding, growth, and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Researchers examined the combined toxic effects of polystyrene microplastics and the UV filter chemical benzophenone-4 on water fleas over 21 days. They found that exposure to both contaminants together caused greater harm to feeding, growth, and reproduction than either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics and personal care product chemicals can interact to amplify their negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Short-term and long-term effects of microplastics and organic UV-filters on the invertebrate model species Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed water fleas to polystyrene microplastics, a mixture of UV-filter chemicals found in sunscreens, or both over 21 days. The microplastics alone reduced body size and reproduction, while combined exposure with UV-filters further impaired swimming behavior and offspring production. The study highlights that microplastics and common personal care product chemicals can interact to create compounding negative effects on freshwater organisms.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of the UV filter, oxybenzone, adsorbed to microplastics in the clam Scrobicularia plana

Scientists exposed the clam Scrobicularia plana to oxybenzone (a UV filter in sunscreens) adsorbed to microplastics and found greater bioaccumulation and oxidative damage than with oxybenzone alone, demonstrating that microplastics enhance the bioavailability of adsorbed organic contaminants.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic effect of microplastic fragments and benzophenone‐3 additives on lethal and sublethal Daphnia magna toxicity

Researchers assessed the combined effects of polyethylene microplastic fragments and the UV-filter additive benzophenone-3 on the water flea Daphnia magna. They found that microplastic fragments were significantly more acutely toxic than the dissolved additive alone, and the combination produced synergistic lethal and sublethal effects. The study highlights that microplastic particles carrying chemical additives may pose greater risks to aquatic invertebrates than either stressor in isolation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 120 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergy under the Sun? Nanoplastics Enhance Estrogenicity of Common UV-Blocker

Human cells and zebrafish co-exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics and the UV filter homosalate showed higher plastic accumulation in tissues, greater estrogenic activity, and more pronounced gene expression changes than with either exposure alone.

2024 Environmental Health Perspectives 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of UVA and visible light conditions in modulating the toxicity of binary mixture of polystyrene micro plastics and TiO2 nanoparticles in brine shrimp (Artemia salina)

Researchers investigated how UVA and visible light conditions affect the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in brine shrimp. They found that binary mixtures were more toxic than microplastics alone, with UVA irradiation enhancing oxidative stress and neurotoxicity from the nanoparticles. The study suggests that light conditions in marine environments can significantly modulate how microplastics and nanoparticles interact to harm aquatic organisms.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The synergistic effects of UV-328 and polystyrene microplastics on zebrafish embryos: developmental toxicity, oxidative stress, and neurotoxicity

Researchers investigated the combined toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and the UV stabilizer UV-328 on zebrafish embryos and found that the two pollutants acted synergistically to cause developmental abnormalities. The combination induced greater oxidative stress and neurotoxic effects than either substance alone, disrupting embryo hatching rates and development. The findings suggest that microplastics and UV stabilizers together may pose amplified risks to aquatic organisms compared to individual exposures.

2026 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

The Comparative Effects of Visible Light and UV-A Radiation on the Combined Toxicity of P25 TiO2 Nanoparticles and Polystyrene Microplastics on Chlorella sp

This study found that TiO2 nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics together are more toxic to marine microalgae than either pollutant alone, and that UV-A radiation makes the combined toxicity significantly worse than under ordinary visible light. TiO2 generates reactive oxygen species under UV-A that damage algal cells, with microplastics amplifying the oxidative stress. Because TiO2 nanoparticles and microplastics co-occur in surface waters where UV light is abundant, this interaction could pose a greater threat to marine photosynthetic organisms than studies conducted under standard lab lighting would suggest.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive neurotoxicity of environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics and butyl methoxydibenzoyl methane on early zebrafish embryos

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and the UV sunscreen chemical BM-DBM interact synergistically to cause neurotoxicity in zebrafish at environmentally relevant concentrations, disrupting nervous system development and gene expression more severely in combination than either pollutant alone.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Environmental Pollution 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of Oxybenzone onto Polystyrene Microplastics Influences Bioavailability and Early-Life Development in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Scientists found that when oxybenzone (a common sunscreen chemical) mixes with tiny plastic particles in water, it can still cause birth defects in fish embryos, particularly problems with their swim bladders. The plastic particles sometimes reduced how much of the chemical got into the fish, but at higher levels this protective effect disappeared. This matters because both oxybenzone and microplastics are widespread in our oceans and drinking water, and this research suggests their combination could pose risks to developing animals and potentially humans.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics facilitate the biotoxicity and biomagnification of ZnO nanoparticles in the food chain from algae to daphnia

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics enhanced the toxicity and biological accumulation of zinc oxide nanoparticles in an aquatic food chain from algae to water fleas. When both pollutants were present together, water fleas showed increased oxidative stress, higher heart rates, and greater zinc accumulation compared to exposure to either pollutant alone. The study demonstrates that microplastics can amplify the harmful effects of other nanoparticle contaminants as they move through the food chain.

2023 Environmental Pollution 34 citations
Article Tier 2

The comparative effects of visible light and UV-A radiation on the combined toxicity of P25 TiO2 nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics on Chlorella sp.

Scientists studied how titanium dioxide nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics together affect green algae under visible light versus UV-A radiation. UV-A light made titanium dioxide more toxic on its own, but when combined with microplastics, the mixture actually reduced toxicity because the plastics absorbed some of the reactive chemicals generated by UV exposure. The findings suggest that light conditions significantly change how multiple pollutants interact in marine environments.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Avobenzone and nanoplastics affect the development of zebrafish nervous system and retinal system and inhibit their locomotor behavior

Researchers studied the combined effects of the sunscreen ingredient avobenzone and nanoplastics on zebrafish larvae development. They found that both substances accumulated in the fish and could not be eliminated within 72 hours, with combined exposure affecting nervous system and retinal development, disrupting antioxidant enzyme activity, and significantly inhibiting locomotor behavior.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Intergenerational and biological effects of roxithromycin and polystyrene microplastics to Daphnia magna

Researchers studied the intergenerational effects of the antibiotic roxithromycin combined with polystyrene microplastics on water fleas (Daphnia magna) across multiple generations. They found that UV-aged microplastics altered the carrier effects on the antibiotic compared to pristine particles, changing survival and reproductive outcomes. The study suggests that the aging and weathering state of microplastics in the environment influences how they interact with pharmaceutical pollutants and their combined toxicity.

2022 Aquatic Toxicology 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates

Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-filter pollution: current concerns and future prospects.

This review examines how UV-filter chemicals from sunscreens and industrial products enter aquatic environments and what their ecological effects are. UV-filters are also used as additives in plastics, making their environmental release relevant to the broader chemical pollution associated with plastic waste.

2021 Environmental monitoring and assessment
Article Tier 2

Screening of the Toxicity of Polystyrene Nano- and Microplastics Alone and in Combination with Benzo(a)pyrene in Brine Shrimp Larvae and Zebrafish Embryos

Researchers found that polystyrene nano- and microplastics alone showed minimal acute toxicity to brine shrimp and zebrafish embryos, but when combined with benzo(a)pyrene, the plastics altered the pollutant's bioavailability and toxic effects.

2022 Nanomaterials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Single and combined effects of microplastics and roxithromycin on Daphnia magna

Daphnia magna were exposed to polystyrene microplastics (1 μm and 10 μm) and the antibiotic roxithromycin individually and in combination, finding that smaller MPs were more acutely toxic (EC₅₀ = 66.97 mg/L vs 199.94 mg/L), and that combined exposure with ROX produced additive effects on oxidative stress markers. The study reveals size-dependent toxicity differences and synergistic oxidative interactions between microplastics and antibiotics in a freshwater crustacean.

2019 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 137 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Journal of Xenobiotics 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes of the acute and chronic toxicity of three antimicrobial agents to Daphnia magna in the presence/absence of micro-polystyrene

Polystyrene microplastics alone caused chronic reproductive toxicity to Daphnia magna at low milligram-per-liter concentrations and worsened the reproductive harm caused by three antimicrobial compounds (triclosan, triclocarban, and methyl-triclosan) in a concentration-dependent manner. The findings suggest microplastics can amplify the chronic toxicity of co-occurring pollutants to aquatic invertebrates.

2020 Environmental Pollution 44 citations