Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystem: Sources and migration in soil environment

This review highlights that microplastic pollution in soils may be even more widespread than in oceans, entering farmland through plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and fertilizers. Microplastics in soil can transfer into the food chain through plants, raising concerns about long-term human exposure through the foods we eat.

2023 Chemosphere 252 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Soils as a Source of Pollution and Environmental Risk

This book chapter reviews microplastics as a soil pollutant, covering sources, distribution, persistence, and ecological risks in terrestrial environments. Agricultural soils are particularly at risk due to plastic mulch film use, sewage sludge application, and atmospheric deposition.

2022 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sludges and Soils: A Comprehensive Review on Distribution, Characteristics, and Effects

This review summarizes research on microplastics in sewage sludge and soil, noting that when contaminated sludge is used as fertilizer, it turns farmland into a major reservoir for microplastic pollution. The accumulated microplastics can alter soil properties, harm soil organisms, and potentially enter crops and groundwater, creating pathways for human exposure through food and drinking water.

2024 ChemEngineering 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastics on soil ecosystems: A review

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in soil from sources like sewage sludge, agricultural plastic mulch, and wastewater, and how they affect soil ecosystems. Evidence indicates that microplastics alter soil physical and chemical properties, disrupt microbial communities and enzyme activity, and can harm plant growth and soil organisms. The authors highlight that soil microplastic pollution has received far less research attention compared to aquatic environments, despite its potential consequences for agriculture and food safety.

2024 International Journal of Research in Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soils

This review covers the presence of microplastics in agricultural soils, examining how plastic mulches, irrigation water, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition contribute to farmland contamination. It discusses effects on soil organisms and the risk of microplastics entering the food chain through crops.

2019 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Existence and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environment: A global fretfulness and abatement strategies

This review covers the global spread of microplastics in soils, farmland, and other land environments, finding contamination from sources like sewage sludge, plastic mulch, and irrigation water. The study highlights that terrestrial microplastic pollution may actually be greater than marine pollution and poses risks to soil organisms, crop growth, and human health through the food chain.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution modulating soil biological health – A review

This review summarizes how microplastics enter agricultural soil through recycled water, fertilizer made from sewage, and plastic mulch, and how they affect the organisms that keep soil healthy. Microplastics can carry chemical additives and environmental pollutants that harm soil bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. These disruptions to soil health could affect crop growth and food quality, creating an indirect pathway for microplastics to impact human nutrition.

2025 Soil Use and Management 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil physical, chemical and biological properties

This review examines how microplastics affect soil health, covering their impact on the physical structure, chemical composition, and biological communities of soil ecosystems. Microplastics can alter soil water retention, change nutrient cycling, and harm soil organisms from earthworms to microbes. Since agricultural soils are a major reservoir of microplastics, these changes could affect crop growth and food quality, creating an indirect pathway for microplastic-related harm to human health.

2024 Natural Hazards Research 32 citations
Article Tier 2

A discussion of microplastics in soil and risks for ecosystems and food chains

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in soils through agricultural practices, landfills, and wastewater, posing risks to ecosystems and food chains. Researchers found that while marine microplastic pollution has been well studied, terrestrial contamination remains poorly understood despite soil receiving more plastic waste than oceans. The study highlights how microplastics can alter soil properties, harm soil organisms, and potentially transfer through the food chain to humans.

2022 Chemosphere 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in the soil environment: A mini-review

This mini-review examines microplastic contamination in soil environments, an area that has received far less attention than marine pollution. Researchers found that agricultural practices like plastic mulch use and sewage sludge application are major sources of soil microplastics. The study highlights that soil microplastics can harm plant growth, alter soil organisms, and potentially enter the food chain through crop uptake.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 710 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in soil environment – a review

This review examines the sources, transport, degradation, and ecological impacts of microplastic contamination in soil environments. The study suggests that soil acts as both a major sink for microplastics and a conduit transporting them to aquatic systems, and that microplastics can negatively affect soil organisms and biogeochemistry, underscoring the need for more research on terrestrial microplastic pollution.

2021 Soil Science Annual 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as pollutants in agricultural soils

This review examines how microplastics end up in agricultural soils through sewage sludge application, wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch films, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that microplastics interact with soil organisms and can alter soil structure and microbial communities, but standardized detection methods are still lacking. The study highlights the need for research on how microplastics move through soil, their effects on crop health, and global policies to address this growing agricultural concern.

2020 Environmental Pollution 747 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, sources, migration, influence and analytical methods of microplastics in soil ecosystems

This review covers the sources, movement patterns, environmental effects, and detection methods for microplastics in soil ecosystems worldwide. Researchers found that agricultural practices including plastic mulch films, sewage sludge application, and irrigation with treated wastewater are major contributors to soil microplastic contamination. The study notes that terrestrial microplastic pollution may actually exceed ocean contamination but has received far less research attention.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in soil: Sources, impacts, and solutions for soil health and environmental sustainability

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter soil through farming activities, sewage sludge, and air deposition, and how they affect soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability. The tiny plastic particles can harm beneficial soil microorganisms and potentially enter the food chain through crops, raising concerns about long-term impacts on both soil health and human well-being.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Significance of Microplastics in Agricultural Soil

This review examines the significance of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, estimating it contributes approximately 20% of total plastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics enter farmland through irrigation, mulch, and sewage sludge, and can be transported deeper into soil by plant roots and soil organisms. The accumulation of microplastics in agricultural land poses risks to soil health and the food grown in it.

2023 Journal of Agronomy Technology and Engineering Management (JATEM) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in agricultural soils: sources, impacts, and mitigation strategies

This review summarizes how microplastics enter agricultural soils through wastewater irrigation, plastic mulch breakdown, and atmospheric deposition, where they alter soil structure, microbial communities, and water retention. The particles can also carry heavy metals and organic pollutants into the food chain, threatening both crop productivity and human health, making it important to reduce plastic use in farming and improve waste management.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

What Do We Know About the Effects of Microplastics on Soil?

This review examines the effects of microplastics on soil ecosystems, covering how mulching, wastewater irrigation, sludge application, and atmospheric deposition introduce microplastics to soil, where they alter physicochemical properties, affect microbial communities, and carry co-pollutants.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the terrestrial environment: A critical review

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic contamination in land-based environments, covering sources, fate, and effects on soil and the organisms that depend on it. Microplastics in soil can interact with pesticides, heavy metals, and other pollutants, acting as carriers that move toxins through the food web and potentially up to humans. The authors note that compared to ocean research, the effects of microplastics on land ecosystems are much less studied and urgently need more attention.

2022 Environmental Research 348 citations
Article Tier 2

How microplastics are destroying soil and human health

This review examined how microplastics harm soil health — disrupting soil structure, water retention, microbial communities, and nutrient cycling — and how soil degradation translates into risks for human health through food and water contamination. It argues that soil microplastic pollution deserves equivalent attention to aquatic contamination.

2024
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on soil microbial community and microbial degradation of microplastics in soil: A review

This review examines how microplastics affect soil microbial communities and the potential for microbes to degrade plastic particles in soil environments. The study highlights that soil acts as a major sink for microplastics from sources like sewage sludge, agricultural mulch, and wastewater, and identifies key knowledge gaps including the need for better monitoring of microplastic sources and exploration of microbial biodegradation potential.

2023 Environmental Engineering Research 75 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Agricultural Soils: An Emerging Threat to Soil Health, Microbial Ecology, Crop Productivity, and Food Safety

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulch, sewage sludge, and atmospheric deposition. Researchers found that these particles can disrupt soil microbial communities, harm plant health, and potentially enter the human food chain. The study highlights the urgent need for mitigation strategies to address this growing but often overlooked form of pollution in farmland.

2025 International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, migration and toxicology of microplastics in soil

This review compiles research on the sources, movement, and toxic effects of microplastics in soil ecosystems, an area that has received less attention than aquatic pollution. Researchers describe how microplastics enter soil through agricultural practices, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition, then transfer through food chains to affect organisms at multiple levels. The study identifies major knowledge gaps and proposes management strategies to mitigate the ecological and human health risks of soil microplastic contamination.

2020 Environment International 1141 citations
Article Tier 2

The crux of microplastics in soil - a review

This review examined the sources, transport pathways, and ecological impacts of microplastics specifically in agricultural soils, where plastic mulch films, sewage sludge application, and irrigation are key inputs. The authors identify food security and soil ecosystem function as the most pressing concerns and call for targeted research on microplastic-soil-crop interactions.

2022 International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in soils, plants, and animals: A review of distributions, effects and potential mechanisms

This review covers the distribution and effects of microplastics in soils, plants, and animals, examining how plastic pollution moves through terrestrial ecosystems. Microplastics in soil can alter microbial communities, reduce plant growth, and accumulate in animals that ingest contaminated food or water. The review highlights that land-based microplastic pollution is as serious a concern as ocean contamination and poses direct risks to agriculture and human food safety.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 223 citations