Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Placental Exposure to Nanoplastics Threatening the Maternal and Fetal Health

This review examines how nanoplastics reaching the placenta threaten maternal and fetal health, summarizing evidence from animal and in vitro studies showing that placental nanoplastic accumulation disrupts nutrient transport, immune function, and fetal development.

2025 Health Dynamics
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review of the Placental Translocation of Micro- and Nanoplastics

Nine out of eleven studies confirmed that micro- and nanoplastics can cross the placental barrier, with translocation depending on particle size, charge, chemical modification, and protein corona formation. Animal and in vitro studies showed emerging evidence of placental and fetal toxicity from plastic particle exposure.

2023 Current Environmental Health Reports 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastics as a novel threat to maternal-fetal health: Placental barrier penetration and fetal developmental consequences

This review addressed how microplastics cross the placental barrier and affect fetal development, covering cellular responses in placental tissue, animal model findings, and limited human study data. The authors concluded that transplacental microplastic transfer is a plausible mechanism for intergenerational health effects.

2025 Reproductive Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Perinatal Period: Emerging Evidence on Maternal Exposure, Placental Transfer, and Fetal Health Outcomes

This review summarizes emerging evidence that microplastics can cross the placenta and reach developing babies, having been detected in maternal blood, placental tissue, amniotic fluid, cord blood, and breast milk. The tiny plastic particles may damage the placenta, disrupt hormones, alter immune responses, and potentially affect fetal growth and brain development. While more research is needed, the findings raise serious concerns about microplastic exposure during pregnancy and its implications for infant health.

2025 Sarvodaya International Journal of Medicine 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological interactions between nanomaterials and placental development and function following oral exposure

Researchers reviewed animal studies on orally ingested nanomaterials (including nanoplastics) and found that while the placenta is generally an effective barrier preventing fetal transfer, nanomaterials accumulating in placental tissue can impair placental development and function, with potential downstream effects on fetal health.

2019 Reproductive Toxicology 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The Invisible Threat: Microplastics in Human Blood and Placenta

This review summarized current evidence on microplastic detection in human blood and placenta, discussing what is known about how these particles enter the bloodstream and reach fetal tissue. The authors highlight the potential implications for maternal and fetal health.

2024 Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Impact of prenatal micro/nanoplastics exposure on intrauterine development and growth: a systematic review

This systematic review examines how exposure to micro- and nanoplastics during pregnancy may affect fetal development and growth. The research gathered evidence showing that tiny plastic particles can reach the placenta and potentially disrupt normal intrauterine development. While more research is needed, these findings raise important questions about protecting pregnant women from microplastic exposure through food, water, and air.

2026 Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: A threat to Fetoplacental unit and Reproductive systems

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics may harm the placenta and reproductive system, particularly during pregnancy. The authors highlight that these tiny plastic particles have been found in placental tissue and may interfere with fetal development, though they note that much more research is needed to understand the full risks to mothers and babies.

2025 Toxicology Reports 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Maternal Nanoplastic and Microplastic Particle Exposure on Mammal’s Offspring

This review summarizes research on how a mother's exposure to nanoplastics and microplastics during pregnancy can affect her developing baby. Studies show that these tiny plastic particles can cross the placenta and reach the fetus, potentially harming brain development, the reproductive system, metabolism, and the immune system of offspring. The review calls for more research using realistic exposure levels to better understand the risks of prenatal microplastic exposure to human babies.

2024 Cells 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Year 116 of the plastic age: a Pandora’s box as a time bomb for pregnancy? Review of clinical and fundamental data on prenatal exposure to plastics

This review examined evidence for micro- and nanoplastic presence in the human placenta and assessed implications for pregnancy outcomes, synthesizing in vitro, ex vivo, and epidemiological data. Multiple plastic types were detected in placental tissue from the basal plate to fetal membranes, and the authors raised concerns about placental dysfunction and fetal developmental risk.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics and Fetal Health: Challenges in Assessment and Evidence from Epidemiological Studies

This review examines the emerging evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can reach the developing fetus during pregnancy, with animal studies showing potential effects on neurological development and placental blood flow. The study also highlights major challenges in accurately detecting and measuring these tiny particles in biological tissues from mothers and babies. The authors call for standardized methods and more human studies to better understand the risks of prenatal microplastic exposure.

2025 Toxics 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic Exposure During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Risks to Maternal and Fetal Health

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how microplastic exposure during pregnancy may affect mothers and developing babies. Studies suggest microplastics can cross the placental barrier, raising concerns about potential effects on fetal development, though more human research is needed to confirm specific risks.

2025 Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine
Article Tier 2

Examining the hidden dangers: Understanding how microplastics affect pregnancy

This review examines how microplastics may affect pregnancy, covering how these tiny particles enter the body through food, water, and air, and can potentially cross the placenta to reach the developing fetus. Early research suggests that the timing of exposure during pregnancy may influence the level of risk to both mother and baby. While the field is still young, the findings highlight pregnancy as a particularly vulnerable period for microplastic exposure.

2024 European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental nanoparticles and placental research

This short piece highlights that nanoparticles — specifically particulate black carbon and nanoplastics — are small enough to cross placental barriers, raising concern about fetal exposure during pregnancy. It underscores nanoplastics as an emerging area of placental research with potential implications for fetal development.

2023
Article Tier 2

Impacts of micro- and nanoplastics on early-life health: a roadmap towards risk assessment

Researchers proposed a detailed risk assessment roadmap specifically for how micro- and nanoplastic exposure during pregnancy and early childhood could harm fetal and infant development, noting that these tiny particles have already been detected in human placentas. The framework identifies critical gaps in dosing data, detection methods, and placental transfer research needed before reliable safety conclusions can be drawn.

2024 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic inhalation during pregnancy: Impacts on uteroplacental function and offspring health

This review examined evidence that inhaled micro- and nanoplastics during pregnancy accumulate in placental and fetal tissues, impair uteroplacental blood flow and immune function, and are associated with adverse developmental outcomes in offspring, identifying inhalation as a critical but understudied exposure route.

2025 Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Health Implications of Microplastic Exposure in Pregnancy and Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarizes existing research on how microplastic exposure during pregnancy and early childhood may affect health. The evidence shows that microplastics can reach the placenta and may cause oxidative stress and inflammation, raising concerns about potential effects on fetal development and infant health during these vulnerable life stages.

2025 International Journal of Women s Health 8 citations
Review Tier 2

A review on micro- and nanoplastics in humans: Implication for their translocation of barriers and potential health effects

This review compiles evidence showing that micro- and nanoplastics have been found in human blood, lungs, placenta, and other organs, and can cross protective barriers including the blood-brain and placental barriers. The accumulated evidence links these particles to inflammation, oxidative stress, hormone disruption, and potential effects on reproduction and brain health, though more research is needed to determine exact risk levels.

2024 Chemosphere 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification and visualization of micro- and nano-plastics transfer from maternal to fetal: A rat model study

Using europium-labeled nanoplastics and microplastics administered to pregnant rats, researchers quantitatively tracked maternal-to-fetal transfer using electron microscopy and mass spectrometry, providing first direct quantitative evidence of how these particles cross the placental barrier.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Silent Invaders: the emerging impact of micro-, nanoplastics and plasticizers on human placental development and pregnancy outcomes

This review examines growing evidence that micro- and nanoplastics, along with their chemical additives like bisphenols and phthalates, can reach and accumulate in placental tissue. Researchers found that these particles and chemicals can induce placental cell death through oxidative stress, disrupt endocrine signaling essential for pregnancy, and impair vascular and metabolic functions. The study suggests that ubiquitous plastic pollution warrants closer investigation as a potential risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
Article Tier 2

Micro(Nano)Plastics as Carriers of Toxic Agents and Their Impact on Human Health

This review compiles evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics act as carriers of potentially toxic agents and enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption. Evidence indicates that continuous exposure to these particles can lead to bioaccumulation and negative health alterations, with recent research detecting microplastics even in human placental tissue.

2023 Environmental sciences 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Bridging the Gaps between Microplastics and Human Health

This review summarizes how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human body through breathing, eating, drinking, skin contact, and even transfer from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Once inside, these particles can cross tissue barriers and potentially affect cellular processes important for fetal development. While the health effects are still being studied, the evidence so far points to real concerns about reproductive and developmental impacts from our daily plastic exposure.

2024 Microplastics 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Particulate contamination of human placenta: Plastic and non-plastic

Researchers examined human placentas and found both microplastic particles and non-plastic particulates embedded in the tissue, confirming that the womb is not a fully protected environment. This study highlights that unborn babies are exposed to a mixture of environmental contaminants before birth, raising questions about how these particles might affect fetal development.

2024 Environmental Advances 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics at the Placenta–Fetal Interface: Emerging Chemical Toxicology Concerns

Researchers reviewed how nanoplastics interact with trophoblasts at the placenta-fetal interface, identifying plastic additives, surface chemistry, and adsorbed protein coronas as drivers of oxidative stress and disrupted cellular function, and calling for advanced placental models to guide developmental toxicity risk assessment.

2026 Chemical Research in Toxicology