Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics enhances plastic additive accumulation in fish

This study found that fish accumulate more plastic-associated chemical additives when they ingest microplastics from contaminated prey than from direct environmental exposure, showing that trophic transfer amplifies chemical exposure through the food chain. This has important implications for predators—including humans—who eat fish that have been feeding in plastic-contaminated environments.

2021 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: A review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemical contaminants they carry move through aquatic food chains from small organisms up to larger predators. Researchers found that microplastics can transfer toxic additives and absorbed pollutants to organisms that ingest them, with potential implications for seafood safety and ultimately human health.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 727 citations
Article Tier 2

Leaching of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from microplastics in fish oil: Kinetics and bioaccumulation

The leaching kinetics of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from microplastics into fish oil were characterized to estimate chemical transfer to organism tissues upon ingestion. Leaching rates were contaminant- and polymer-dependent, providing mechanistic data for assessing how ingested microplastics increase exposure to inherent flame retardant additives.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure

This study compared direct waterborne exposure versus trophic transfer of micro- and nanoplastics on marine fish larvae, finding that trophic transfer caused significantly higher larval mortality. The results suggest that dietary uptake through the food web is a more dangerous exposure route than direct water contact for early-stage fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics and the chemicals they carry transfer through marine food webs from lower to higher trophic levels, and what this means for human health given that people consume marine fish and seafood. It identifies microplastics as a vector for bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in ways that ultimately reach humans.

2018 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics act as vectors for chemical contaminants through marine food webs, discussing the factors influencing ingestion, the biological impacts of sorbed chemicals, and evidence for trophic transfer across multiple trophic levels. Researchers highlight that existing lab studies use unrealistically high concentrations and that no study has yet tracked microplastic-contaminant transfer from seafood to humans.

2018 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating microplastic particles as vectors of exposure for plastic additive chemicals using a food web model

Researchers used a bioaccumulation model to estimate how much chemical exposure humans and wildlife receive specifically from ingesting microplastic particles — versus other environmental routes — and found that microplastics only become a meaningful source of chemical additives when ingestion rates are high and the plastic contains substantial concentrations of hydrophobic chemicals. The work helps clarify when microplastics are a significant chemical vector, finding that health risks from this pathway are likely negligible at currently estimated ingestion rates.

2024 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics from mysids to fish greatly exceeds direct ingestion from the water column

This study compared how fish take in microplastics directly from water versus through eating contaminated prey. Researchers found that fish consumed far more microplastics by eating prey organisms that had already ingested plastic particles than by filtering them from the water, highlighting that the food chain is a major route of microplastic exposure for predators.

2021 Environmental Pollution 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic vector effects: are fish at risk when exposed via the trophic chain?

Researchers exposed three-spined sticklebacks to polyethylene microplastics via food chain transfer (prey ingestion) for one month and measured biochemical and molecular effects. While the microplastics were transferred through the trophic chain, chemical toxicity was not amplified, suggesting that trophic transfer alone may not substantially increase the chemical risk from microplastics in this species.

2019 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transfer of benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia nauplii and further to zebrafish via a trophic food web experiment: CYP1A induction and visual tracking of persistent organic pollutants

Researchers tracked the transfer of the carcinogenic chemical benzo[a]pyrene from microplastics to Artemia brine shrimp nauplii and then to a fish predator, finding that microplastics can serve as a vector transferring toxic chemicals up the food chain.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 563 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of DDE, BP-3 and chlorpyrifos from microplastics to tissues in Dicentrarchus labrax

Researchers demonstrated trophic transfer of DDE, BP-3, and chlorpyrifos from contaminated microplastics to European sea bass tissues, providing evidence that microplastics serve as vectors for chemical contaminant bioaccumulation through the food chain.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Concurrent water- and foodborne exposure to microplastics leads to differential microplastic ingestion and neurotoxic effects in zebrafish

Researchers compared how zebrafish are affected by microplastics ingested directly from water versus through their food chain. They found that the route of exposure made a significant difference, with food-chain transfer leading to different patterns of microplastic accumulation and more pronounced neurotoxic effects than waterborne exposure alone. The study highlights that trophic transfer is an important but often overlooked pathway for microplastic exposure in aquatic organisms.

2022 Water Research 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of microplastics on the bioconcentration of organic contaminants in fish: Is the “Trojan horse” effect a matter of concern?

Researchers tested whether microplastic ingestion increases the bioconcentration of hydrophobic organic chemicals in zebrafish, examining the so-called 'Trojan horse' effect. They found that exposure to contaminated polyethylene microplastics did not significantly increase chemical accumulation in fish compared to waterborne exposure alone. The study suggests that for these chemicals, direct water exposure remains the dominant uptake pathway, and the microplastic carrier effect may be less concerning than previously thought.

2022 Environmental Pollution 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer increases the exposure to microplastics in littoral predators

Researchers studied how microplastics move through Baltic Sea food chains from zooplankton to shrimp to prawns in laboratory experiments. They found that predators accumulated microplastics both from the water directly and by eating contaminated prey, with trophic transfer significantly increasing overall exposure. The study suggests that animals higher up the food chain face compounded microplastic exposure from multiple sources.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of microplastics and mixed contaminants in the marine food web and implications for human health

This review examines how microplastics move through marine food webs via trophic transfer and carry chemical contaminants that can accumulate in higher predators, including humans. Researchers found that microplastics readily sorb pollutants from surrounding waters and release them after being ingested by organisms, potentially amplifying toxic effects at each level of the food chain. The study underscores the need for more research on bioaccumulation factors and the implications of seafood-mediated microplastic exposure for human health.

2018 Environment International 1310 citations
Article Tier 2

Trophic transfer of nanoplastics reduces larval survival of marine fish more than waterborne exposure

Researchers compared the effects of waterborne versus trophic (food chain) exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics on larvae of red sea bream and found that trophic transfer reduced larval survival more severely than direct waterborne exposure. The results underscore the importance of dietary exposure pathways in assessing nanoplastic risk to marine fish.

2025
Article Tier 2

Chemical Pollutants Sorbed to Ingested Microbeads from Personal Care Products Accumulate in Fish

Researchers investigated whether organic pollutants sorbed to microbeads from personal care products could accumulate in fish after ingestion. The study found that chemical pollutants adsorbed onto microplastic beads were indeed assimilated by rainbow fish following ingestion, providing evidence that microplastics can serve as a pathway for contaminant transfer through the food chain.

2016 Environmental Science & Technology 481 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Vector Effects: Are Fish at Risk When Exposed via the Trophic Chain?

Three-spined sticklebacks exposed to chlorpyrifos-contaminated microplastics via a trophic chain accumulated the pesticide in their bodies and showed inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity and hyperactivity, a behavioral change that could increase vulnerability to predators. The study confirms that microplastics can deliver contaminants to fish and alter organ distribution of chemicals compared to direct water exposure.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of marine organisms at multi-trophic level to study the integrated biological responses induced by microplastics through food-chain

Researchers used marine organisms across multiple trophic levels to study how microplastics move and accumulate through the food chain, finding that toxicological effects intensify at higher trophic levels due to bioaccumulation of plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024
Article Tier 2

Trophic Transfer and Accumulation of Microplastics in Freshwater Ecosystem: Risk to Food Security and Human Health

This review examined the trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics through freshwater food chains, highlighting the risks to food security and human health as plastic particles biomagnify from lower to higher trophic levels.

2022 International Journal of Ecology 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of chemical pollutants from environmental microplastics in European sea bass

Researchers designed a feeding experiment to determine whether chemical contaminants from environmental microplastics undergo trophic transfer to the liver of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), testing two feeding treatments with realistic microplastic concentrations to evaluate bioaccumulation risk.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Micro-Nano Plastics in Aquatic Environments: Associated Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments are biologically transferred up the food chain, covering the factors that influence particle bioavailability, accumulation in organisms, and trophic transfer — with implications for both aquatic ecosystem health and human dietary exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of additives and chemical contaminants from environmental microplastics in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Researchers exposed European seabass to environmentally collected microplastics to study the bioaccumulation of plastic additives and chemical contaminants. They found that contaminants associated with the microplastics, including metals and organic pollutants, transferred to fish tissues over the exposure period. The study provides evidence that microplastics can act as carriers of harmful chemicals into marine organisms consumed by humans.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a Vector for Exposure to Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals in Fish: A Comparison of Two Polymers and Silica Particles Spiked With Three Model Compounds

Three-spined sticklebacks fed microplastic-contaminated diets showed measurable transfer of hydrophobic chemicals (including an estrogen mimic, a pesticide, and a PAH) from the plastics into fish tissues, though transfer rates were low. The study confirms that ingested microplastics can act as vectors for chemical contaminants in fish, even if the overall exposure remains modest.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 40 citations