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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Polymer aging affects the bioavailability of microplastics-associated contaminants in sea urchin embryos
ClearChange in adsorption behavior of aquatic humic substances on microplastic through biotic and abiotic aging processes
Researchers found that both UV irradiation and microbial aging of polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their surface chemistry, changing how aquatic humic substances adsorb onto the plastic surface and highlighting the importance of weathering state in assessing microplastic-contaminant interactions.
Aging mechanism of microplastics with UV irradiation and its effects on the adsorption of heavy metals
Researchers aged polystyrene microplastics using UV irradiation under three conditions (air, pure water, seawater) and found that aging changed surface chemistry and increased the microplastics' capacity to adsorb heavy metals, with seawater aging producing the most pronounced surface oxidation.
Microplastics do not increase toxicity of a hydrophobic organic chemical to marine plankton
Sea urchin larvae actively ingested polyethylene microplastics at rates comparable to natural food particles, but co-exposure with a hydrophobic organic contaminant did not increase toxicity compared to contaminant alone. The results suggest that at tested concentrations, microplastics do not significantly amplify the toxicity of co-occurring pollutants to marine plankton.
Interactive effects of microplastics and benzo[a]pyrene on two species of marine invertebrates
Researchers found that low-density polyethylene microplastics alone did not cause toxicity to sea urchin embryos or mysids, but their interaction with benzo[a]pyrene modified the pollutant's bioavailability and toxicity in marine invertebrates at environmentally relevant concentrations.
The sorption behaviour of amine micropollutants on polyethylene microplastics – impact of aging and interactions with green seaweed
Researchers studied how long-term aging of polyethylene microplastics changes their ability to bind organic pollutants (amine micropollutants), and how interactions with green seaweed affect this process. Aged microplastics showed different sorption behavior than fresh ones, which has implications for how effectively they transport contaminants through aquatic food webs.
The effect of polymer aging on the uptake of fuel aromatics and ethers by microplastics
Researchers found that UV weathering and aging of microplastics significantly increased their sorption of fuel-related aromatic contaminants (BTEX) and ethers compared to virgin plastics. The results suggest that aged microplastics in the environment, which have higher surface oxidation, accumulate higher concentrations of fuel-related contaminants than fresh plastic particles.
Influence of aging on the affinity between microplastics and organic contaminants
Researchers investigated how UV and UV+H2O2 aging affects the capacity of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb and release pesticides and other organic contaminants, finding that aging-induced surface changes significantly altered adsorption affinity and desorption behavior compared to unaged controls.
Study of the ageing and the sorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons as influencing factors on the effects of microplastics on blue mussel
Researchers studied how aging and the absorption of polyaromatic hydrocarbons affect the impact of microplastics on blue mussels. They found that microplastics aged by UV radiation and those carrying adsorbed pollutants caused different biological effects compared to pristine particles, altering mussel filtration rates, gene expression, and oxidative stress responses. The study highlights that the real-world condition of microplastics matters significantly when assessing their environmental impact.
[Sorption of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers by Virgin and Aged Microplastics].
This study examined how environmental aging under UV light changes the ability of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics to adsorb polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), common flame retardant chemicals. Aged microplastics showed altered sorption capacity compared to virgin particles, affecting how these toxic chemicals are transported in aquatic environments.
New Insights into the Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aging Microplastics
This study showed that UV-aged polypropylene microplastics are significantly more toxic than fresh ones, absorbing more chemicals and generating more harmful reactive oxygen species in seawater. The aged particles caused greater damage to cell membranes in mussels compared to pristine plastics. Since most microplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, real-world exposure risks may be higher than laboratory studies using new plastics suggest.
Contaminant release from aged microplastic
Researchers exposed recycled plastic granules of polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene to simulated aging conditions including UV radiation and high temperatures. They found that aging significantly increased the rate at which chemical additives leached from the plastic particles into water, with UV exposure having the greatest effect. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may release harmful chemicals at much higher rates than fresh plastic materials.
UV-Aged Nanoplastics Increase Mercury Toxicity in a Marine Copepod under Multigenerational Exposure: A Carrier Role
Researchers found that UV-aged nanoplastics were much better at carrying mercury into the bodies of marine copepods than fresh nanoplastics, increasing mercury accumulation by over 50% across multiple generations. The combination of aged nanoplastics and mercury significantly reduced survival rates in offspring. Since most nanoplastics in the ocean have been weathered by sunlight, this study suggests the real-world risks of nanoplastic-metal combinations to marine food chains may be greater than lab studies with fresh plastics indicate.
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.
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.
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.
Effect of aging of microplastics on gene expression levels of the marine mussel Mytilus edulis: Comparison in vitro/in vivo exposures
Researchers compared the effects of aged versus non-aged polyethylene microplastics on the marine mussel Mytilus edulis using both in vitro and in vivo exposures at environmentally relevant concentrations. The study found that gene expression changes in xenobiotic defense, immune function, and cell cycle control differed depending on whether the plastic was aged and the type of exposure method used. These findings highlight that the environmental weathering state of microplastics is an important factor in determining their biological effects on marine organisms.
Role of UV radiation and oxidation on polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics: impacts on cadmium sorption, bioaccumulation, and toxicity in fish intestinal cells
This study examined how UV aging and oxidation change the way polyethylene micro and nanoplastics interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in fish gut cells. While the plastics actually reduced cadmium absorption and toxicity in the cells, UV aging changed the particles' surface chemistry and caused them to clump together differently. The results suggest that the interaction between microplastics and heavy metals in the environment is complex and depends on how weathered the plastic is.
Embryotoxicity of polystyrene microplastics, alone and conjugated with bisphenol A, in the black sea urchin Arbacia lixula: A multi-biomarker approach
Researchers tested the effects of polystyrene microplastics and the chemical bisphenol A, both alone and combined, on sea urchin embryo development. While bisphenol A caused severe skeletal abnormalities and developmental arrest, its toxicity was actually reduced when attached to microplastic surfaces rather than amplified. The study found no synergistic toxic effect between the two pollutants under acute exposure conditions, though both individually disrupted metabolic and oxidative stress pathways.
UV aging induces colloidal-like behavior in microplastics, mediating contaminant fluxes across interfaces
Researchers showed that UV aging and mechanical stress transform polyethylene microplastics into reactive porous particles with colloidal behavior, developing surface oxidation, increased roughness, and trace metal accumulation — changes that alter how they transport contaminants across water-sediment interfaces.
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.
Progress on the photo aging mechanism of microplastics and related impact factors in water environment
This review examined the photo-aging mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that solar UV radiation drives oxidation reactions that alter surface chemistry, fragment particles further, and enhance their capacity to adsorb and release co-occurring pollutants.
Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants
Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
Aging relieves the promotion effects of polyamide microplastics on parental transfer and developmental toxicity of TDCIPP to zebrafish offspring
Researchers discovered that pristine polyamide microplastics promoted the transfer of the flame retardant TDCIPP from parent zebrafish to offspring and increased developmental toxicity, but aging of the microplastics reduced these harmful effects due to changed surface properties.
Linking UV aging of polymers and microplastics formation: An assessment employing various characterization techniques
Researchers examined the link between UV aging of plastic polymers and the generation of microplastics in marine environments, using environmental assessment tools to model the process. The study clarifies how photodegradation rates and polymer type influence the rate and quantity of microplastic formation.