Papers

61,005 results
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Systematic Review Tier 1

A scoping review protocol on in vivo human plastic exposure and health impacts

This scoping review protocol outlines a plan to systematically gather evidence on how plastics found inside the human body affect health. With global plastic production having generated over 6.3 billion metric tons of waste, humans are increasingly exposed to micro- and nanoplastics through food, water, and air. The review aims to map what is known — and what gaps remain — about the direct health consequences of plastic particles in human tissues.

2022 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Environmental exposure to microplastics: a scoping review on human health effects

This scoping review systematically examined published evidence on the health effects of microplastic exposure in humans. It found that human exposure is certain and widespread, but that data on dose-response relationships and specific health outcomes are still limited — highlighting an urgent need for rigorous human health studies.

2020 ISEE Conference Abstracts
Review Tier 2

Partial Scoping Review of Microplastic Exposure Publications

This scoping review maps the growing body of research on human microplastic exposure, covering how plastics enter food, water, and air. It identifies key gaps in the literature and highlights the need for standardized methods to better assess real-world human exposure levels.

2021 ISEE Conference Abstracts
Systematic Review Tier 1

PROTOCOL: Plastics in the food system: Human health, economic and environmental impacts. A scoping review

This scoping review protocol outlines a plan to study how plastics in the food system affect human health, the economy, and the environment. Since mass plastic production began, over 8 billion metric tons have been created, and growing evidence suggests that plastics throughout the food supply chain may pose risks to human health through chemical exposure and microplastic contamination.

2019 Campbell Systematic Reviews 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Brain: A Scoping Review Protocol on Their Presence, Neurotoxic Effects, and Implications for Human Health

This scoping review protocol outlines a systematic approach to mapping scientific evidence on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in the brain, their neurotoxic effects, and potential implications for human health. The review will chart findings from both human studies and experimental models to identify key mechanisms, affected brain regions, and knowledge gaps in this emerging field.

2026 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Review Tier 2

Environmental exposure to microplastics: a scoping review on potential human health effects and knowledge gaps

This scoping review searched multiple academic databases to synthesize evidence on potential human health effects of microplastic exposure. The authors found that while microplastics are omnipresent in human environments, direct evidence of health harm in humans remains limited, with significant knowledge gaps in long-term exposure effects and dose-response relationships.

2020 BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Brain: A Scoping Review Protocol on Their Presence, Neurotoxic Effects, and Implications for Human Health

This scoping review protocol maps scientific evidence on the presence of micro- and nanoplastics in the brain, their neurotoxic effects, and implications for human health, drawing from both human studies and experimental models. The protocol follows JBI methodology to systematically chart available evidence.

2025 Open Science Framework
Article Tier 2

Exposure scenarios for human health risk assessment of nano- and microplastic particles

This paper focuses on developing realistic exposure scenarios for assessing human health risks from nano- and microplastic particles. Establishing accurate models of how much plastic people actually encounter through food, air, and water is a critical step for determining whether current exposure levels pose real health dangers.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Examination of plastic’s hazards to human health underway

This study examined the multiple health hazards that plastics pose to humans across their entire life cycle, from fossil fuel extraction used as feedstocks through everyday use and disposal, conducting a comprehensive interdisciplinary analysis of exposure pathways and associated health effects.

2022 C&EN Global Enterprise
Review Tier 2

Plastics, microplastics, and human contamination: A literature review

This literature review synthesizes research on human contamination by plastics and microplastics, covering ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes and summarizing documented health effects across organ systems.

2024 Seven Editora eBooks
Article Tier 2

Screening and prioritization of nano- and microplastic particle toxicity studies for evaluating human health risks – development and application of a toxicity study assessment tool

Researchers developed a standardized tool to screen and rank toxicity studies on nano- and microplastics by quality and relevance, addressing a critical gap in how scientists evaluate which studies should inform human health risk assessments for these widespread plastic pollutants.

2022 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 62 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics and Human Health: A Comprehensive Review on Exposure Pathways, Toxicity, and Emerging Risks

This comprehensive review examines microplastic exposure pathways in humans, methods of detection, and the potential toxic effects on various biological systems. The study highlights growing evidence that microplastics can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact, and may affect multiple organ systems, though significant uncertainties remain about long-term health outcomes.

2026 Microplastics
Review Tier 2

Potential human health risks due to environmental exposure to nano- and microplastics and knowledge gaps: A scoping review

This scoping review surveyed existing research on the potential human health effects of exposure to micro- and nanoplastics. The evidence suggests these particles may contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune disruption, but the review highlights major knowledge gaps and calls for more studies specifically focused on human health outcomes.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 701 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Umbrella Review: Impact of plastic-associated chemical exposure on human health.

This umbrella review pools evidence from multiple systematic reviews to assess how chemicals associated with plastics affect human health. The research examines exposure to plastic-related chemicals through food, water, air, and consumer products. This is one of the most comprehensive looks at the health impacts of plastic chemical exposure, covering effects that range from hormonal disruption to developmental concerns.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in humans: Current evidence of presence and their role in organ toxicity

This comprehensive review examined how microplastics enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption, and maternal-fetal transfer, summarizing documented evidence of MP presence and toxic effects across multiple organs.

2025 International Journal of Biology Sciences
Article Tier 2

Public Awareness Of Plastic Pollution And Perceived Risks To Human Health.

This study aims to assess public awareness of plastic pollution and its health impacts by surveying urban and semi-urban communities about their plastic use habits and self-reported health outcomes. Researchers plan to compare families using plastic food-contact materials with those using non-plastic alternatives to identify gaps in awareness and potential health differences linked to everyday plastic exposure.

2026
Article Tier 2

Plastics, diet and human health: Accurately assessing exposure in adults.

This research project is developing methods to accurately measure how much plastic people are exposed to through their diet, including microplastics from food packaging. The study examines whether reducing plastic food packaging can lower dietary plastic exposure and simultaneously improve diet quality. It matters because understanding true dietary exposure is a prerequisite for assessing health risks from microplastics in food.

2024 UWA Profiles and Research Repository (University of Western Australia)
Article Tier 2

An integrated approach to assess exposure and early health effects in human populations exposed to micro- and nanoplastics

This paper outlines a proposed framework for systematically assessing human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics and their early health effects, noting that current estimates are hindered by a lack of standardized detection methods. Researchers emphasize that occupational settings where plastics are processed, as well as vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women, should be prioritized for study. The study calls for validated biomarkers and standardized protocols to better understand the real-world health consequences of human microplastic exposure.

2025 NanoImpact 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding Human Health Impacts Following Microplastic Exposure Necessitates Standardized Protocols

This overview examines the methods currently used to study how microplastics affect human health, highlighting significant inconsistencies in experimental approaches. Researchers identified challenges including the lack of standardized reference materials, variability in exposure conditions, and limited understanding of how microplastic doses translate to real-world exposure. The study proposes solutions to standardize protocols so that future research builds on a more reliable foundation.

2024 Current Protocols 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastics on human health: exposure mechanisms and potential health implications

This review examines how microplastics enter the human body through food, drinking water, and inhaled air, and summarizes what is known about their potential health effects. Researchers found that microplastics have been detected in human stool samples, blood, and lung tissue, and may carry harmful chemicals and pathogens. The study highlights that while evidence of direct health impacts is still emerging, the widespread presence of microplastics in everyday exposure pathways warrants serious attention.

2024 Quality in Sport 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Exposure and Human Health: Advancing Risk Assessment and Future Research Directions

This review synthesizes recent evidence that microplastics are present in human blood, respiratory tissue, placenta, and gut, examines proposed toxicological mechanisms, and identifies priorities for improving risk assessment frameworks and exposure measurement methods.

2025 Theoretical and Natural Science
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and Their Human Health Effects - Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews in Research of Microplastics

This systematic review of systematic reviews provides an overview of what is known about microplastics and human health. The research found that while microplastics are confirmed to be present in the human body, the specific health effects linked to different plastic types remain poorly understood. The study highlights that this field is still young and calls for more research to clarify the true health risks of daily microplastic exposure.

2025
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in the human body: A comprehensive review of exposure, distribution, migration mechanisms, and toxicity

This comprehensive review pulls together research on how microplastics enter the human body through food, air, and skin contact, and where they accumulate in organs and tissues. The review discusses how particle size determines whether microplastics can cross biological barriers like the gut lining and blood-brain barrier. The authors conclude that microplastics pose significant health risks and call for more research into their long-term effects.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 176 citations
Review Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics: origin, sources of intake and impact on human health (literature review)

This literature review synthesizes mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics interact with living organisms, examining their physicochemical properties, routes of human exposure, and documented health effects across multiple organ systems.

2025 Hygiene and Sanitation