Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics and heavy metals on the earthworm Eisenia fetida and on soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus

Researchers found that co-contamination by polypropylene microplastics and heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Zn) had synergistic adverse effects on earthworms and soil quality, reducing organic carbon and nitrogen levels more than either contaminant alone.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics and cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia foetida

Researchers studied the effects of microplastics alone and combined with the heavy metal cadmium on earthworms over 42 days. They found that both exposures reduced growth and increased mortality, with the combined treatment causing the most damage through increased oxidative stress. The study also revealed that microplastics can increase cadmium accumulation in earthworms by up to 161%, suggesting microplastics may worsen heavy metal contamination in soil ecosystems.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 330 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and carbendazim on Eisenia fetida: A comprehensive ecotoxicological study

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and the pesticide carbendazim on earthworms and found that the two pollutants together caused worse damage than either alone. The combined exposure led to growth problems, oxidative stress, and organ damage even at lower concentrations. Since earthworms are essential for soil health and microplastics and pesticides commonly co-exist in farmland, these findings suggest that agricultural soil contamination could have cascading effects on the food system.

2024 Environmental Pollution 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Researchers compared single and combined pollutant exposures on the earthworm Eisenia fetida, finding that mixtures of pesticides, heavy metals, particulate matter, and microplastics can produce synergistic negative effects on survival and reproduction beyond individual pollutant impacts.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics and Tcep pollutants in agricultural soil: Exploring the links between metabolites and gut microbiota in earthworm homeostasis

Researchers investigated the co-occurrence of polyethylene microplastics and the flame retardant TCEP in agricultural soils and their combined effects on earthworm health. The study found that co-exposure disrupted earthworm gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis, suggesting that the interaction between microplastics and chemical additives in agricultural soil may pose greater ecological risks than either contaminant alone.

2022 Environment International 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of organophosphate flame retardants and polyethylene microplastics on Eisenia fetida: Biochemical and molecular insights

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics, chlorinated flame retardants, and their combinations to assess combined toxicity effects. They found that the most toxic flame retardant (TDCPP) had its effects reduced when combined with microplastics, likely because the plastics absorbed the chemical and lowered its bioavailability. In contrast, microplastics enhanced the toxicity of another flame retardant (TCPP), demonstrating that microplastics can act as both carriers and modulators of co-contaminant toxicity in soil ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics insights into the combined effects of boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): The critical role of pesticide dose and microplastics size

Researchers studied the combined effects of the pesticide boscalid and polystyrene microplastics on earthworms, finding that the interaction between the two contaminants significantly altered earthworm metabolic profiles. The severity of effects depended on both the pesticide dose and the size of the microplastic particles. The study highlights that microplastics in agricultural soils may interact with pesticides to create synergistic toxic effects on soil organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and nickel oxide nanoparticle on earthworm (Eisenia andrei): oxidative stress responses, bioavailability and joint effect

Researchers studied the combined toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and nickel oxide nanoparticles on earthworms over 28 days. They found that smaller microplastics caused greater oxidative stress, and the combination of both pollutants was more harmful than either one alone. The study suggests that the co-occurrence of microplastics and metal nanoparticles in soil can amplify negative effects on soil-dwelling organisms.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparison of fitness effects in the earthworm Eisenia fetida after exposure to single or multiple anthropogenic pollutants

Researchers exposed earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to single and combined anthropogenic pollutants including pesticides, heavy metals, and microplastics in a factorial design, finding that exposure to multiple pollutants simultaneously produced synergistic negative effects on earthworm fitness beyond what individual pollutant exposures predicted.

2022 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological impact of naproxen on Eisenia fetida: Unraveling soil contamination risks and the modulating role of microplastics

Researchers found that the common painkiller naproxen and microplastics together had different toxic effects on earthworms than either pollutant alone, with microplastics altering how the drug was metabolized and accumulated. Microplastics caused oxidative damage and changed lipid metabolism patterns in the worms, and these effects dominated when both pollutants were present together. Since soils contain both pharmaceuticals and microplastics from sewage and runoff, this study shows how these co-occurring pollutants can interact in unexpected ways that affect soil ecosystem health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the toxicity effects of microplastics and cadmium on earthworms

Researchers evaluated the combined toxicity of microplastics and cadmium on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) using both short-term and long-term exposure experiments. They found that the co-exposure produced interactive toxic effects on antioxidant enzyme activity and caused DNA damage, with toxicity severity influenced by microplastic particle size and concentration. The study suggests that the presence of microplastics in contaminated soils can modify how heavy metals like cadmium affect soil organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the joint toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida with cadmium by altering its availability

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium and found that co-exposure caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant alone, including increased avoidance behavior, weight loss, and DNA damage. The microplastics increased the bioavailability of cadmium in soil by up to 1.43-fold and boosted cadmium accumulation in earthworm tissue by up to 2.65-fold. The study demonstrates that microplastics can worsen heavy metal toxicity to soil organisms by making the metals more accessible for uptake.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological risk of co-exposure to fosthiazate and microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): Integrating biochemical and transcriptomic analyses

Researchers investigated the combined toxic effects of the insecticide fosthiazate and microplastics on earthworms using both biochemical and genetic analyses. They found that co-exposure increased oxidative stress, DNA damage, and disrupted metabolic pathways more severely than either pollutant alone. The study suggests that microplastics may amplify pesticide toxicity in soil organisms, raising concerns about their combined impact on soil ecosystem health.

2024 Environmental Pollution 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Cadmium and copper absorption by Eisenia fetida in the presence of different concentrations of microplastics

Researchers exposed earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to soil containing tire-derived microplastics alongside heavy metals cadmium and copper, finding that the microplastics increased the worms' uptake of both toxic metals. The results suggest that microplastics in soil act as carriers that make heavy metal contamination more bioavailable and dangerous for soil-dwelling organisms.

2023 Journal of Environmental Health Engineering
Article Tier 2

A method to study the effects of combined stress of cadmium and microplastics on the acute toxicity of Eisenia fetida

Researchers developed an orthogonal test method to study the combined toxic effects of cadmium and microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida), providing a more rigorous experimental framework for assessing the ecotoxicological risks of co-contamination in soil ecosystems.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Article Tier 2

Gut toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls to Eisenia fetida: Single and co-exposure effects with a focus on links between gut bacteria and bacterial translocation stemming from gut barrier damage

Researchers examined how polystyrene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) affect the gut health of earthworms, both individually and in combination. They found that co-exposure caused more severe gut barrier damage and bacterial translocation than either pollutant alone, with significant disruption to the gut microbial community. The study highlights the importance of considering combined pollutant effects when assessing environmental risks to soil organisms.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The combined effects of azoxystrobin and different aged polyethylene microplastics on earthworms (Eisenia fetida): A systematic evaluation based on oxidative damage and intestinal function

Scientists studied how the pesticide azoxystrobin and aged polyethylene microplastics together affect earthworms, and found the combination was significantly more toxic than either pollutant alone. The aged microplastics helped the earthworms absorb more pesticide, leading to greater weight loss, more oxidative damage, and worse intestinal damage. This is important for human health because it shows that microplastics in agricultural soil can increase the bioavailability and toxicity of pesticides that may end up in our food.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure to environmental microplastic and the pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) induce distinctive alterations in the metabolome and microbial community structure in the gut of the earthworm Eisenia andrei

Researchers exposed earthworms to a combination of microplastics and the herbicide 2,4-D and found that the co-exposure caused distinct changes in gut metabolism and microbial communities compared to either pollutant alone. The combined pollutants disrupted metabolic pathways and shifted the balance of gut bacteria in ways neither contaminant produced individually. The findings suggest that microplastics and pesticides together may pose greater ecological risks to soil organisms than previously understood.

2023 Environmental Pollution 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of mulch film-derived microplastics and atrazine on oxidative stress and gene expression in earthworm (Eisenia fetida)

Researchers examined the combined effects of mulch film-derived microplastics and the pesticide atrazine on earthworms over 28 days. They found that co-exposure caused greater oxidative stress than either pollutant alone, with aged microplastics from farmland residues producing more severe effects than unused film-derived particles. The study suggests that agricultural soils contaminated with both degraded mulch film microplastics and pesticides may pose compounding toxic risks to soil organisms.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 180 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct responses of Caenorhabditis elegans to polyethylene microplastics and plant secondary metabolites

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics and plant-derived chemical compounds individually and together affect the roundworm C. elegans, a common soil organism. They found that while the plant compounds reduced worm reproduction and lifespan, microplastics had milder individual effects but modified the toxicity of the plant chemicals when combined. The study reveals that in real soil environments, the interactions between microplastics and natural plant chemicals create complex toxicity patterns.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined pollution of soil by heavy metals, microplastics, and pesticides: Mechanisms and anthropogenic drivers

This study investigated how heavy metals, microplastics, and pesticides interact when they contaminate soil together, finding that their combined effects are complex and often worse than any single pollutant. Microplastics can absorb and concentrate both heavy metals and pesticides, changing how these chemicals move through soil and into plants. The findings highlight how agricultural soils contaminated with multiple pollutants could increase human exposure through crops grown in that soil.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Metabolomics and microbiomics revealed the combined effects of different-sized polystyrene microplastics and imidacloprid on earthworm intestinal health and function

This study examined how different-sized polystyrene microplastics combined with a common pesticide affected earthworm gut health. The combination disrupted gut bacteria, altered metabolism, and hindered nutrient absorption more severely than either pollutant alone. Since earthworms are critical for soil health in farmland, this damage could indirectly affect crop quality and human food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Joint effects of microplastic and dufulin on bioaccumulation, oxidative stress and metabolic profile of the earthworm (Eisenia fetida)

This study investigated the combined effects of microplastics and the antiviral pesticide dufulin on earthworms (Eisenia fetida), finding that co-exposure amplified bioaccumulation, increased oxidative stress, and disrupted metabolic profiles compared to either pollutant alone.

2020 Chemosphere 114 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polyethylene microplastics on bioavailability and toxicity of metals in soil

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics affect the bioavailability and toxicity of copper and nickel in soil using earthworms as test organisms. They found that adding microplastics to contaminated soil increased the bioavailability of the metals and enhanced their toxic effects on the earthworms. The study suggests that microplastics in soil can worsen heavy metal pollution by making metals more accessible and harmful to soil-dwelling organisms.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 184 citations