Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Uptake, Distribution, and Impact of Micro- and Nano-Plastics in Horticultural Systems Using Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) as a Model Crop

Researchers studied how micro- and nanoplastics are taken up and distributed in lettuce grown in horticultural systems, finding that nanopolystyrene exposures significantly inhibited leaf and root development in a concentration-dependent manner. They optimized extraction methods for quantifying microplastics in soil and developed a synthesis procedure for nanoplastic test particles. The study demonstrates that plastic fragments from horticultural materials can accumulate in soil and affect crop growth, raising concerns about food safety.

2026
Article Tier 2

Effect of polystyrene on di-butyl phthalate (DBP) bioavailability and DBP-induced phytotoxicity in lettuce

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect the bioavailability of the plasticizer di-butyl phthalate and its toxicity to lettuce plants. They found that smaller nanoscale polystyrene particles increased DBP uptake by the plants, while larger particles reduced it by adsorbing the chemical. The study demonstrates that microplastics can act as carriers for harmful chemicals in agricultural soils, with particle size determining whether they amplify or reduce pollutant exposure to crops.

2020 Environmental Pollution 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolic response of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics after foliar exposure

Researchers exposed lettuce plants to polystyrene nanoplastics and microplastics through their leaves and found that the particles altered the plant's metabolism differently depending on particle size. This foliar exposure pathway means that microplastics and nanoplastics settling on leafy vegetables from the air can change the plant's internal chemistry. Since lettuce is widely consumed raw, these metabolic changes raise questions about how microplastic-contaminated produce might affect nutritional quality and human health.

2024 Environmental Science Nano 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulation strategies of microplastics with different particle sizes on cadmium migration processes and toxicity in soil-pakchoi system

Researchers tested how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes (0.2, 2, and 20 micrometers) affect cadmium movement from soil into pakchoi, a leafy vegetable. Larger microplastics actually reduced cadmium uptake by the plant by up to 47%, while the smallest particles had no effect. This study shows that microplastic size matters for food safety, as different-sized particles can either increase or decrease how much toxic metal ends up in the crops we eat.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential impact and mechanism of aged polyethylene microplastics on nitrogen assimilation of Lactuca sativa L.

Researchers investigated how aged polyethylene microplastics of different sizes affect nitrogen uptake and metabolism in romaine lettuce. They found that aged microplastics, especially smaller particles, accumulated in the plants and disrupted nitrogen assimilation processes. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils may affect crop nutrition and quality by interfering with how plants absorb and process essential nutrients.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics protect lettuce (Lactuca sativa) from the hazardous effects of Cu(OH)2 nanopesticides

Polystyrene microplastics were found to partially protect lettuce from the phytotoxic effects of copper hydroxide nanowire nanopesticides, likely by adsorbing copper ions and reducing their bioavailability in the rhizosphere. The interaction illustrates how microplastics in agricultural soils can modify the fate and toxicity of co-applied agrochemicals.

2022 Frontiers in Plant Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Physiological responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to microplastic pollution

PVC microplastics of two different size ranges had contrasting effects on lettuce roots, with smaller particles stimulating root growth and larger particles having no effect, and smaller particles also reduced photosynthetic efficiency at moderate concentrations. The study suggests that microplastic size is a key variable determining whether effects on crops are stimulatory or inhibitory.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of naturally aged microplastics on arsenic and cadmium accumulation in lettuce: Insights into rhizosphere microecology

Researchers studied how naturally aged microplastics in soil affect the uptake of arsenic and cadmium by lettuce. At low concentrations, microplastics actually reduced heavy metal absorption and helped plant growth, but at higher concentrations they increased the amount of toxic metals taken up by the lettuce. This means microplastic-contaminated farmland could lead to higher levels of heavy metals in salad greens and other vegetables that people eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity and fate of cadmium in hydroponically cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) influenced by microplastics

Researchers found that PVC microplastics changed how lettuce plants absorb the toxic heavy metal cadmium when both were present in the growing water. The microplastics initially absorbed cadmium from the water but then altered the plant's uptake patterns, affecting where the metal accumulated in roots versus leaves. This matters because microplastics in agricultural water could change how toxic metals end up in the edible parts of vegetables people eat.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18 citations
Article Tier 2

The dosage- and size-dependent effects of micro- and nanoplastics in lettuce roots and leaves at the growth, photosynthetic, and metabolomics levels

Researchers studied the effects of polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics on lettuce plants, varying both particle size and concentration. They found that particle size played a pivotal role in influencing plant growth, photosynthetic activity, and metabolic processes, with nanoplastics generally causing more pronounced effects than larger microplastics. The study suggests that the smallest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to crop health by disrupting plant physiology at multiple levels.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro plastic driving changes in the soil microbes and lettuce growth under the influence of heavy metals contaminated soil

Researchers studied how microplastics interact with heavy metals in contaminated soil and their combined effects on lettuce growth and soil bacteria. Different types of microplastics altered soil chemistry and changed which microbes thrived, sometimes making heavy metals more available to plants. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil could affect both the safety and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables that people eat.

2024 Frontiers in Plant Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-nanoscale polystyrene co-exposure impacts the uptake and translocation of arsenic and boscalid by lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Researchers found that nanoscale polystyrene particles dramatically increase arsenic translocation from roots to edible shoots of lettuce — up to threefold — while also entering root cells and migrating to leaves, demonstrating that microplastic co-exposure can substantially amplify the accumulation of other environmental contaminants in food crops.

2025 NanoImpact 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Internalization, physiological responses and molecular mechanisms of lettuce to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes: Validation of simulated soilless culture

This study found that lettuce plants absorb polystyrene microplastics through their roots and transport them to their leaves, with smaller particles (100 nanometers) moving more easily than larger ones. Both sizes reduced plant growth by roughly 38-48% and triggered stress responses including changes in gene expression. These findings raise food safety concerns since microplastics in soil can accumulate in leafy vegetables that people eat.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on bioaccumulation of heavy metals in rape (Brassica napus L.)

Researchers found that microplastics influenced the bioaccumulation of copper and lead in rapeseed plants, with effects varying by microplastic concentration and heavy metal type, revealing how plastic pollution may alter contaminant uptake in crops.

2021 Chemosphere 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative uptake of nanoplastics with different physico-chemical properties in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and transfer to snails (Cantareus aspersus)

This study quantified the uptake of nanoplastics with different physico-chemical properties into lettuce plants grown in contaminated agricultural soil, using europium-doped polystyrene particles as tracers. Particle charge and surface chemistry significantly affected the extent of nanoplastic uptake into plant tissues, with positively charged particles showing greater accumulation.

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

Effects of Co-Contamination of Microplastics and Cd on Plant Growth and Cd Accumulation

Researchers investigated how two types of microplastics, high-density polyethylene and polystyrene, at various concentrations affect cadmium uptake and toxicity in maize plants grown in agricultural soil. The study found that while polyethylene alone had no significant effect, polystyrene at higher doses altered cadmium accumulation patterns, suggesting that different plastic types may interact differently with heavy metals in soil.

2020 Toxics 239 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of polystyrene microplastic and nanoplastic on copper toxicity in two freshwater microalgae

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics affect the toxicity of copper to two freshwater microalgae species over extended exposure periods. They found that microplastics generally reduced copper toxicity by adsorbing copper ions, while nanoplastics had more variable effects depending on concentration and algal species. The study highlights that the size of plastic particles plays an important role in how they modify the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals in aquatic environments.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxic effects and mechanisms of engineered nanoparticles and nanoplastics on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Researchers compared the effects of engineered nanoparticles and polystyrene nanoplastics on lettuce and found that all types caused oxidative stress in roots at high concentrations. Each nanoparticle type triggered different defensive metabolic pathways in the plants, and nanoplastics specifically altered amino acid and vitamin metabolism. Since lettuce is widely consumed raw, these findings raise questions about how nanoplastic contamination in agricultural soil could affect the safety of leafy vegetables.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Cadmium on the Metabolic Processes and Their Accumulation in Hydroponically Grown Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

When lettuce was grown with both nanoplastics and the toxic metal cadmium, the plants absorbed 61-67% more of both contaminants compared to exposure to either one alone. The combined pollution triggered a stronger stress response in the plants and changed how they grew. This is concerning for human health because it means nanoplastics in agricultural soil could significantly increase the amount of toxic heavy metals that end up in salad greens and other food crops.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of polystyrene microplastics influence cadmium trophic transfer along the “lettuce-snail” food chain: Focus on leaf age and the chemical fractionations of Cd in lettuce

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics altered cadmium accumulation and trophic transfer along the lettuce-snail food chain, with effects varying by leaf age and the chemical fractionation of cadmium in lettuce tissues.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of different types and shapes of microplastics on the growth of lettuce

Researchers tested how different types and shapes of microplastics in soil affect lettuce growth in pot experiments. They found that polyvinyl chloride fragments had the most negative impact on lettuce weight and root development, while low-density polyethylene fibers showed less effect. The study indicates that the type and shape of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils matters significantly for crop health outcomes.

2023 Chemosphere 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Foliar-applied polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) reduce the growth and nutritional quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

When lettuce plants were exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics sprayed on their leaves, they grew significantly smaller and produced less nutritious food, with reduced essential amino acids and micronutrients. The nanoplastics were absorbed through leaf pores and could travel down to the roots, causing oxidative stress throughout the plant. This study warns that airborne nanoplastic pollution could reduce both the quantity and nutritional quality of food crops.

2021 Environmental Pollution 364 citations
Article Tier 2

Translocation and chronic effects of microplastics on pea plants (Pisum sativum) in copper-contaminated soil

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics affect pea plants grown in copper-contaminated soil over a full growing season. They found that the combination of nanoplastics and copper reduced crop yield, impaired nutritional quality, and that nanoplastic particles were taken up and transported throughout the plant tissues. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in polluted agricultural soils may compound existing threats to crop productivity and food safety.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 98 citations