Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Latest Review on Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment: The Comparative Impact of Size on Environmental Behavior and Toxic Effect

This review compares how micro-sized and nano-sized plastic particles behave differently in water environments and affect aquatic organisms. Smaller nanoplastics are generally more harmful because they can cross biological barriers, enter cells, and accumulate in tissues more readily than larger microplastics. The size-dependent differences in toxicity highlighted in this review are important for understanding which plastic particles pose the greatest risk to human health through contaminated water and seafood.

2024 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 16 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of the effects of nanoplastics on fish

This systematic review examines how nanoplastics (extremely small plastic particles) affect fish, including their ability to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. The findings are relevant to human health because fish are a major dietary protein source, and understanding how plastics move through aquatic food chains helps us assess our own exposure risks.

2025 Frontiers in Toxicology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Fish and Shellfish – A Threat to Seafood Safety?

This review evaluated the current knowledge on microplastic contamination in fish and shellfish in relation to seafood safety. Researchers found that while microplastics are commonly detected in the gastrointestinal tracts of fish (which are typically not consumed), bivalves and small fish eaten whole may present a more direct route of human exposure, though the overall health risk from microplastics in seafood remains uncertain.

2020 Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology 131 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Nanoplastics on Marine Life: A Review

This review summarizes current knowledge about the effects of nanoplastics on marine organisms, including impacts on feeding, reproduction, growth, and cellular-level toxicity. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics can be more harmful than larger microplastics due to their ability to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues, though more research is needed on real-world exposure levels.

2023 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of nano/micro plastic particles by the mussel Mytilus coruscus is size dependent

Researchers investigated how the thick shell mussel Mytilus coruscus ingests plastic particles of different sizes, ranging from 70 nanometers to 100 micrometers. They found that smaller particles were ingested in greater quantities and accumulated primarily in the digestive tract, while particles also translocated to the mantle tissue over time. The study demonstrates that plastic particle ingestion by mussels is strongly size-dependent, with smaller particles posing a greater accumulation risk.

2020 Chemosphere 124 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of nanoplastics on fish health and performance: A review

Researchers reviewed studies on nanoplastics (particles smaller than 100 nm) in fish and found evidence of tissue accumulation, impaired locomotion and foraging, immune and growth disruption, altered lipid metabolism, and neurotoxicity, though mortality and developmental malformations had not yet been reported.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 162 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Microplastic in Commercial Aquatic Organisms

This review examined microplastic occurrence across multiple commercial aquatic species, compiling data on ingestion rates, particle characteristics, and potential risks to seafood safety. The authors identify fish, crustaceans, and bivalves as primary vectors of human dietary exposure to microplastics through seafood consumption.

2022 Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-Dependent Uptake and Depuration of Nanoplastics in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Distinct Intestinal Impacts

Researchers tracked how tilapia fish absorb and eliminate nanoplastics of two sizes (86 and 185 nanometers) and found that both accumulated most heavily in the intestine. Smaller nanoplastics caused more physical damage to the intestinal lining, while larger ones disrupted the gut microbiome more severely. Since tilapia is widely consumed worldwide, the finding that nanoplastics build up in fish tissue and damage their guts raises concerns about the safety of farmed fish as food.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of Microplastics by Marine Animals

This review examines microplastic ingestion by marine animals, assessing how the small size and ubiquity of microplastics in oceans leads to widespread consumption across species, with effects ranging from physical gut blockage to chemical toxicity at organism and ecosystem levels.

2022 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Threats of Microplastic Pollution on Fishes and its Implications on Human Health (Review Article)

This review summarizes research from 2010 to 2023 on microplastic contamination in fish and its potential implications for human health. Researchers found that microplastics are ingested by fish across diverse aquatic environments, with particles accumulating in the gastrointestinal tract and other tissues. The study highlights concerns that microplastic-contaminated seafood may represent a pathway for human exposure to both the plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The risks of marine micro/nano-plastics on seafood safety and human health

This review examined the risks of marine micro- and nanoplastics to seafood safety and human health, detailing how plastic particles are ingested by marine organisms and transferred through the food chain to consumers.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 9 citations
Review Tier 2

Nano-Scale Plastic Pollution in the Marine Species: A Review

This review summarizes research on nano-scale plastic pollution in marine species, covering how nanoplastics are produced from larger plastics, how they enter organisms, and the toxic effects they cause in marine life. Because of their tiny size, nanoplastics can penetrate cells and tissues that larger microplastics cannot reach.

2018 Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics impact on marine biota: A review

Researchers reviewed the emerging toxicological literature on nanoplastics in marine ecosystems, distinguishing primary nanoplastics (manufactured at nanoscale) from secondary nanoplastics (fragmented from larger debris), and summarizing how nanoscale size changes particle reactivity and bioavailability in ways that differ substantially from their macro- and microscale counterparts.

2021 Environmental Pollution 213 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic contamination of the food chain: A threat to human health?

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics enter the human food chain through shellfish, inhalation, and other routes, and assesses what is known about their toxicity. The authors conclude that while larger microplastics appear to have low absorption and toxicity, nanoplastics may accumulate in tissues and potentially affect the nervous and reproductive systems, though effects in humans remain unproven.

2018 Maturitas
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review of Ecotoxicological Effects, Exposure Pathways and Trophic Transfer Risks

This review synthesises evidence on the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in marine, freshwater, and estuarine environments, covering ingestion, bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and physiological harms across aquatic fauna. It identifies chemical co-contamination and particle size as key modulators of toxicity.

2025 UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Article Tier 2

The impact of nano/micro-plastics toxicity on seafood quality and human health: facts and gaps

This review examines the impact of nano- and microplastic contamination on seafood quality and human health. Researchers note that while microplastic absorption in fish is generally considered low, bioavailability depends on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, and prolonged exposure to high levels may be hazardous. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps around long-term exposure effects and calls for policy action on microplastic limits in food.

2022 Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms and Human Health: A Review

This review examined the impacts of microplastics on aquatic organisms and human health, highlighting that microplastic size ranges mimic prey sizes ingested by aquatic organisms and that contaminated commercially important fish species transfer microplastics to human consumers. The authors synthesised evidence on ingestion pathways, toxicological effects, and human dietary exposure routes.

2020 International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Fish size influences microplastic occurrence in target organs

Researchers examined whether fish body size affects microplastic occurrence in target organs, moving beyond gut content analysis to assess systemic tissue contamination. Larger fish contained more microplastics in their organs than smaller fish, suggesting size-dependent differences in cumulative lifetime exposure.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics and seafood: lower trophic organisms at highest risk of contamination

This systematic review summarizes existing research on microplastic contamination in commercially important seafood species. The findings show that organisms lower on the food chain, like shellfish and small fish, tend to accumulate the most microplastics. Since many people eat these organisms whole, including their digestive tracts, this represents a direct pathway for microplastics to enter the human diet.

2019 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 564 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing toxicological risk of nanoplastics contaminants in food and feed from ingestion pathway to human diseases

This review examines how nanoplastics, which are tiny fragments smaller than 0.1 micrometers, enter the human food chain and may pose health risks. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics can cross biological membranes more easily than larger microplastics, potentially reaching organs and accumulating over time. The study highlights the need for better detection methods and risk assessments to understand the long-term health implications of nanoplastic ingestion through food and beverages.

2025 F1000Research 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental Impacts of Nanoplastics in Marine Ecosystems

This review examined how nanoplastics—generated by degradation of larger plastics—penetrate biological barriers, accumulate in tissues, contribute to biomagnification, and disrupt marine food chains, highlighting their distinct ecotoxicological mechanisms compared to larger microplastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

Micro-Nano Plastics in Aquatic Environments: Associated Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments are biologically transferred up the food chain, covering the factors that influence particle bioavailability, accumulation in organisms, and trophic transfer — with implications for both aquatic ecosystem health and human dietary exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Human health concerns regarding microplastics in the aquatic environment - From marine to food systems

This review traces the journey of microplastics from marine environments into the human food supply, examining how they contaminate seafood, drinking water, and the food chain. Particles smaller than 150 micrometers can pass through the intestinal wall and reach other organs, where they may cause chronic toxicity including cardiovascular, liver, and brain damage. The authors emphasize that nanoplastics are especially concerning because their small size allows them to penetrate deeper into the body.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 706 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and translocation of micro- and nanoplastics in fish

This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics distribute and move through fish bodies, from the gut to organs like the liver, brain, and muscle tissue. Researchers found that nanoplastics are especially concerning because they can cross biological barriers, enter the bloodstream, and even pass to the next generation. The findings highlight the potential for plastic particles consumed by fish to move up the food chain to humans.

2021 Critical Reviews in Toxicology 106 citations