Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sorption of pharmaceuticals on the surface of microplastics

Researchers tested the ability of four common microplastic types to adsorb nine pharmaceutical compounds frequently found as water pollutants. They found that sorption involved both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, but under natural environmental conditions the binding was relatively weak. The study suggests that while microplastics can interact with pharmaceutical residues, their role as carriers of these contaminants in real aquatic environments may be more limited than previously assumed.

2020 Chemosphere 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of selected pharmaceutical compounds on polyethylene microplastics: Roles of pH, aging, and competitive sorption

Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics adsorb pharmaceutical compounds including an antibiotic, a beta-blocker, and an antidepressant, with sorption capacity influenced by pH, aging of the plastic, and competition between compounds — raising concern about microplastics as carriers of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption and desorption of selected pharmaceuticals by polyethylene microplastics

Researchers tested the sorption and desorption of three pharmaceuticals — sulfamethoxazole, propranolol, and sertraline — onto polyethylene microplastics in water, finding that all three compounds sorbed to the plastic surface and were only partially released over time. The results suggest microplastics can act as vectors for pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments, potentially affecting their bioavailability.

2018 Marine Pollution Bulletin 284 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyamide microplastics in wastewater as vectors of cationic pharmaceutical drugs

Researchers investigated whether polyamide microplastics in wastewater can adsorb pharmaceutical drugs and transport them into the environment. They found significant adsorption of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals like propranolol, amitriptyline, and fluoxetine, with limited desorption in river water but increased release in simulated gastric fluids. The findings suggest that microplastics discharged from wastewater treatment could carry adsorbed medications over long distances and release them if ingested by wildlife or humans.

2021 Chemosphere 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of pharmaceuticals over microplastics’ surfaces: interaction mechanisms and governing factors

Researchers reviewed the sorption mechanisms by which pharmaceuticals interact with microplastic surfaces in the environment. The study found that electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic forces are the primary mechanisms governing pharmaceutical adsorption onto microplastics, suggesting that microplastics can serve as vectors for transporting pharmaceutical contaminants through ecosystems.

2022 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics and a Metabolite onto Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polyethylene Microplastics in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how four macrolide antibiotics and a metabolite adsorb onto polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene microplastics in water. They found that antibiotic adsorption followed a linear model, with PET showing higher adsorption capacity than polyethylene. The study suggests that microplastics in aquatic environments may serve as carriers for antibiotics, potentially affecting how these pharmaceutical pollutants are distributed in water systems.

2024 Antibiotics 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of a Mixture of Daily Use Pharmaceuticals on Pristine and Aged Polypropylene Microplastics

This study examined polypropylene microplastics as carriers for a mixture of daily-use pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and other compounds under simulated environmental conditions. Polypropylene microplastics adsorbed all tested pharmaceuticals, with adsorption capacity and kinetics varying by compound, confirming that environmental microplastics can act as vectors concentrating multiple pharmaceutical contaminants simultaneously.

2024 Environments 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and interaction mechanism of microplastics with typical hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products

This study examined how different types of microplastics adsorb hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments, finding that polymer type and surface properties governed the interaction mechanisms. The results indicate that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging contaminants.

2023 Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Mini Review on Recent Advances of the Adsorption Mechanism Between Microplastics and Emerging Contaminants for Conservation of Water

This mini-review examines the adsorption mechanisms between microplastics and emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, highlighting how physicochemical properties like hydrophobicity and pH influence pollutant uptake onto different polymer types. The review synthesizes recent advances relevant to understanding how microplastics act as vectors for pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments.

2023 International Journal of Conservation Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the adsorption of a diverse range of pharmaceuticals to virgin and aged poly (ethylene terephthalate) microplastics in different environmental matrices

Researchers studied the adsorption of a mixture of pharmaceuticals — including anti-inflammatory drugs diclofenac and ketoprofen, anti-hypertensive valsartan, and four antibiotics — onto both virgin and aged PET microplastics, providing the first multi-drug adsorption assessment on PET under realistic environmental conditions.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water matrices

Researchers examined the sorption of two common antihypertensive drugs onto polystyrene microplastics in water, finding that microplastics can adsorb pharmaceutical compounds and may serve as vectors for drug transport in aquatic environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of Sorption of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products to Microplastics

This thesis investigated how pharmaceutical and personal care product chemicals sorb onto high-density polyethylene microplastic fragments, and how this affects the combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. Microplastics can carry drug compounds and personal care chemicals from wastewater into aquatic environments, concentrating pollutant exposure for marine organisms.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Meet Metoprolol in Natural Water: Sorption Behavior and Mechanism

Laboratory experiments showed that common plastic types — polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene — readily adsorb the heart medication metoprolol from water, and that this adsorption increases at higher pH and in the presence of dissolved organic matter (humic acids). These findings raise concern that microplastics in aquatic environments could act as transport vectors for pharmaceutical drugs, potentially delivering them to fish and other organisms in concentrated doses.

2024 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Alter the Distribution and Toxic Potential of Typical Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions: Mechanisms and Theory Calculations

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics interact with common pharmaceutical drugs in water and found that the plastics can absorb these medications, altering their distribution and potentially increasing environmental toxicity. The strength of absorption varied depending on the chemical properties of each drug, with some binding much more readily to microplastics than others. The findings highlight that microplastics may act as carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, complicating efforts to assess water contamination risks.

2025 ACS ES&T Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of Pharmaceuticals on Microplastics

This review examines the sorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastics in aquatic environments, analyzing how polymer type, particle size, surface area, polarity, and pharmaceutical properties such as log Kow and pKa influence sorption behavior, and how weathering and aging processes increase sorption capacity by altering microplastic surface chemistry and topography.

2022 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interaction between Microplastics and Pharmaceuticals Depending on the Composition of Aquatic Environment

This review examines how aquatic environmental conditions — including dissolved organic matter, salinity, pH, and temperature — influence the adsorption and desorption of pharmaceuticals onto microplastic surfaces, showing that water composition significantly affects the extent to which microplastics act as vectors for drug contaminants.

2022 Microplastics 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations
Article Tier 2

Pharmaceuticals and micro(nano)plastics in the environment: Sorption and analytical challenges

This review examines how pharmaceutical residues and micro- and nanoplastics interact in water environments, finding that microplastics can adsorb medications and alter their environmental behavior. Factors like plastic type, surface area, and biological film growth all influence these interactions, but very few studies have been conducted under real-world conditions. The authors highlight persistent analytical challenges and the need for field-based research to understand actual risks.

2024 Trends in Environmental Analytical Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the complex interactions between microplastics and PPCPs: The environment and health implications

This review examines how microplastics interact with pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), finding that the large hydrophobic surface area of microplastics enhances PPCP adsorption, increasing their persistence, bioavailability, and potential for biomagnification through food webs.

2025 International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)
Article Tier 2

Sorption of three common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to microplastics

This study investigated the adsorption of three common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) onto microplastics, finding that polymer type, drug properties, and environmental conditions all influenced sorption capacity. The results suggest microplastics can act as vectors for pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 178 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of antibiotic clarithromycin adsorption potential on microplastics

Researchers investigated the adsorption potential of the antibiotic clarithromycin onto various microplastic types under controlled laboratory conditions, examining how surface properties and environmental factors influence pharmaceutical-microplastic interactions. The study found that microplastics can adsorb clarithromycin, raising concern about microplastics acting as vectors for antibiotic transport and spread in aquatic environments.

2024 Global NEST Journal
Article Tier 2

An assessment of the concentration of pharmaceuticals adsorbed on microplastics

This study developed and validated an analytical method to measure pharmaceutical compounds adsorbed onto microplastic particles in marine water samples. Microplastics can concentrate pharmaceuticals from water and carry them through marine food chains, potentially delivering drug compounds to fish and other organisms at elevated concentrations.

2020 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of emerging contaminants with model colloidal microplastics, C60 fullerene, and natural organic matter – effect of surface functional group and adsorbate properties

Researchers studied how two common pharmaceutical contaminants — amlodipine and carbamazepine — adsorb onto colloidal microplastics, natural organic matter, and fullerene nanoparticles. The drug amlodipine accumulated at much higher levels than carbamazepine, and the type of surface coating on the plastic significantly influenced how much drug was absorbed, with implications for how microplastics carry pharmaceuticals through water systems.

2020 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of pharmaceuticals in aquatic organisms – An overview of their environmental implications

Researchers reviewed how microplastics act as "vectors" for pharmaceutical contaminants in aquatic environments, absorbing drugs onto their surfaces and then releasing them inside organisms after ingestion — potentially amplifying the toxicity of pharmaceuticals throughout the food web.

2021 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 100 citations