Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Susceptibility of Cd availability in microplastics contaminated paddy soil: Influence of ferric minerals and sulfate reduction

When microplastics and cadmium contaminate paddy soil together — a common situation in agricultural areas — microplastics increase the availability of cadmium to plants, raising the risk of cadmium uptake into food crops like rice. The mechanism involves microplastics releasing dissolved organic matter that disrupts iron mineral cycling and promotes sulfate-reducing bacteria, which in turn mobilize cadmium from soil particles. These findings highlight that microplastic pollution in farmland does not act alone — it can amplify the toxicity of co-occurring heavy metal contaminants.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 11 citations
Article Tier 2

How do controlled-release fertilizer coated microplastics dynamically affect Cd availability by regulating Fe species and DOC content in soil?

Researchers tracked how polyurethane microplastics from controlled-release fertilizer coatings dynamically changed cadmium availability in soil over time by altering iron species and dissolved organic carbon content. Smaller MP particles at higher concentrations most strongly increased bioavailable cadmium, suggesting fertilizer-derived MPs could amplify heavy metal exposure risks in agricultural soils.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils with contrasting texture, organic carbon and mineralogy: changes in cadmium adsorption forms and their mobility in soil columns

This study investigated how high-density polyethylene microplastics alter the behavior of cadmium — a toxic heavy metal — in soils with different textures, organic carbon contents, and mineral compositions. Using soil column experiments, researchers found that microplastics changed how cadmium binds to soil particles and how easily it leaches downward, with effects varying depending on the soil type and microplastic particle size. Since cadmium is a known carcinogen and agricultural soils commonly contain both microplastics and heavy metals, understanding their interactions is critical for food safety.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter cadmium accumulation in different soil-plant systems: Revealing the crucial roles of soil bacteria and metabolism

A study found that microplastics in soil can change how much cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, is absorbed by food crops, with the effects varying depending on soil type and the amount of plastic present. By altering soil chemistry and bacterial communities, microplastics reshape how pollutants move through farmland and into the food we eat.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics in soil on the regulation of cadmium bioavailability by biochar

Researchers investigated how biochar amendments affect cadmium bioavailability in soils co-contaminated with microplastics, finding that the presence of microplastics altered cadmium mobility and complicated biochar's remediation effectiveness in ways that depend on the specific MP type present.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and biochar on soil cadmium availability and wheat plant performance

Researchers found that fresh microplastics increased soil cadmium availability and plant uptake in wheat, and when combined with biochar, microplastics further amplified cadmium mobilization by decreasing soil pH and increasing dissolved organic matter, complicating biochar-based soil remediation strategies.

2023 GCB Bioenergy 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of polypropylene microplastics on the distribution of cadmium, enzyme activities, and bacterial community in black soil at the aggregate level

Researchers found that adding polypropylene microplastics to soil contaminated with cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) changed how the metal distributed across different soil particle sizes and shifted bacterial communities. The microplastics increased cadmium availability in some soil fractions, potentially making it easier for plants to absorb this toxic metal. This suggests that microplastic-contaminated farmland may pose greater heavy metal exposure risks for crops and, ultimately, for people who eat them.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Adsorption and Desorption Properties of Cadmium in Soil

Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics were found to reduce soil's capacity to adsorb cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in farmland soils could increase the mobility and risk of heavy metal pollutants.

2022 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene microplastics affect the distribution and bioavailability of cadmium by changing soil components during soil aging

A 180-day soil aging experiment with polypropylene microplastics at 2-10% concentration showed that microplastics altered the distribution of cadmium between soil particle-associated organic matter, organo-mineral complexes, and mineral fractions. Higher microplastic concentrations shifted cadmium toward more stable organo-mineral associations, reducing its bioavailability over time.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 73 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on soil properties, maize (Zea mays L.) growth characteristics, and cadmium accumulation in maize in loessial soil-maize systems

Researchers studied the combined effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil properties and maize growth through pot experiments. They found that microplastics altered soil nutrient availability and, depending on size and concentration, either increased or decreased cadmium uptake by the plants. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils can change how crops absorb toxic heavy metals, with potential implications for food safety.

2024 Environmental Pollution 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics promoted cadmium accumulation in maize plants by improving active cadmium and amino acid synthesis

Researchers examined how polystyrene and polypropylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination to affect soil chemistry and cadmium uptake in maize plants across two soil types. The study found that microplastics generally promoted cadmium accumulation in maize by reducing soil pH and increasing cadmium bioavailability, with effects varying by particle size depending on the soil type.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics reduce chemisorption of cadmium in paddy soil and increase its bioaccessibility and bioavailability

Researchers found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics reduce cadmium chemisorption in paddy soil while increasing its bioaccessibility and bioavailability, suggesting that microplastic contamination in rice paddies could enhance heavy metal uptake by crops and human dietary exposure.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic production of hydroxy radicals affects the available Cadmium in paddy soils under microplastic contamination

Researchers showed that polyethylene microplastics amplify hydroxyl radical production in flooded paddy soils through photochemical activation of plastic-derived dissolved organic carbon and iron cycling, raising plant-available cadmium concentrations by up to 4.5-fold and highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics worsen heavy metal contamination in rice fields.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Microplastics on the Leaching of Nutrients and Cadmium from Soil].

A soil column experiment showed that polystyrene and polylactic acid microplastics at varying concentrations affected how nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and the heavy metal cadmium leach out of soil during simulated rainfall. Higher microplastic concentrations generally altered leaching patterns, raising concerns that microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could change nutrient availability for crops and increase the mobility of toxic heavy metals into groundwater.

2024 PubMed 2 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the decrease in Cd2+ bioavailability in sediments by microplastics: Role of geochemical properties

Researchers investigated how polyethylene terephthalate microplastics alter the geochemical properties of sediments in ways that reduce the bioavailability of cadmium. PET microplastics shifted cadmium from the readily exchangeable fraction to the organically bound fraction, and the associated changes in microbial activity and organic carbon explained much of the reduction in cadmium bioavailability.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Influences of microplastics types and size on soil properties and cadmium adsorption in paddy soil after one rice season

Researchers grew rice in paddy soil amended with polyethylene, polyacrylonitrile, and PET microplastics of varying sizes and found that microplastic type and particle size significantly altered soil properties and cadmium adsorption capacity, with smaller particles generally having greater effects.

2022 Resources Environment and Sustainability 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics influence the adsorption and desorption characteristics of Cd in an agricultural soil

Batch experiments showed that polyethylene microplastics reduced cadmium adsorption but increased desorption in farmland soil, with effects varying by MP dose, particle size, and pH. The findings indicate microplastics could increase cadmium mobility in agricultural soils, potentially raising risks of crop uptake.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 374 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium co-contamination on the soybean-soil system: Integrated metabolic and rhizosphere microbial mechanisms

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics and cadmium interact in soybean-soil systems and found that specific microplastic concentrations enhanced cadmium accumulation in roots under moderate contamination. Higher microplastic levels reduced beneficial soil bacteria like Sphingomonas and Bradyrhizobium and suppressed nitrogen-cycling functions. The study demonstrates that microplastics fundamentally alter heavy metal behavior through interconnected plant-metabolite-microbe interactions in agricultural soils.

2026 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Agricultural film microplastics counteract root exudate-induced cadmium behavior changes in soil revealed by PLS-PM analysis

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics from agricultural film and root exudates interact to affect cadmium behavior in soil. The study found that while root exudates increased cadmium availability, the addition of microplastics counteracted this effect by altering soil properties, enzyme activity, and microbial community structure.

2026 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety