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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Addressing the importance of microplastic particles as vectors for long-range transport of chemical contaminants: perspective in relation to prioritizing research and regulatory actions
ClearMicroplastics are not important for the cycling and bioaccumulation of organic pollutants in the oceans—but should microplastics be considered POPs themselves?
This perspective challenges the widely held view that microplastics are an important global transport vector for persistent organic pollutants, arguing that natural organic matter and lipids carry far more POPs than plastics do. The authors contend that the real risk of microplastics comes from their physical effects on organisms, not their role in pollutant cycling.
Transport of persistent organic pollutants: Another effect of microplastic pollution?
This review examines how microplastics act as vectors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in aquatic environments, covering the physical and chemical factors governing pollutant adsorption and desorption. The authors discuss how interactions between microplastics and POPs vary with polymer type, particle properties, and environmental conditions, and when these interactions may result in toxic effects on aquatic organisms.
Enrichment of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Microplastics from Coastal Waters
Researchers quantified how microplastics concentrate persistent organic pollutants compared to suspended particulate matter in coastal seawater. They found that the concentrating effect of microplastics on these pollutants was one to two orders of magnitude greater than that of natural suspended particles. The study provides precise measurements of enrichment factors, suggesting that microplastics may serve as significant carriers of toxic organic chemicals in marine environments.
Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation
This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.
Micro- and nanoplastics as transport vectors for organic contaminants in the environment: A critical review
This critical review examines whether microplastics and nanoplastics truly act as significant carriers of organic pollutants in the environment. The analysis suggests that in marine environments, the transport of contaminants by microplastics is generally insignificant compared to other exposure routes like water and food. However, in agricultural soils, nanoplastics in particular may play a more meaningful role in moving pollutants, which could eventually affect the safety of crops grown in contaminated soil.
Research progress on environmental occurrence of microplastics and their interaction mechanism with organic pollutants
This review summarizes how microplastics in the environment interact with organic pollutants—adsorbing, carrying, and releasing them. Microplastics act as mobile carriers for persistent organic chemicals, altering their distribution and toxicity in ecosystems and the organisms, including humans, that consume them.
Atmospheric chemistry of microplastics:T ransport, environmental impacts, and governance.
This article reviews the atmospheric chemistry of microplastics, examining their sources, transport mechanisms, environmental impacts including as carriers of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, and current remediation and governance strategies.
Plastic as a Carrier of POPs to Aquatic Organisms: A Model Analysis
Researchers developed a model to evaluate whether microplastic acts as a meaningful carrier of persistent organic pollutants to aquatic organisms. The analysis suggests that in both laboratory and open marine systems, microplastic ingestion is more likely to slightly decrease bioaccumulation of pollutants rather than increase it, and the differences are too small to be relevant for risk assessment.
Microplastics as a vehicle of exposure to chemical contamination in freshwater systems: Current research status and way forward
This review assessed the current state of research on microplastics as vectors for chemical contaminants in freshwater systems, evaluating evidence for and against the vector hypothesis and identifying the most important knowledge gaps, including the need for studies at environmentally realistic concentrations.
Micro(nano)plastics: Unignorable vectors for organisms
This review examines the role of micro- and nanoplastics as vectors for contaminants — including heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens — in aquatic and terrestrial environments. It synthesizes evidence on how plastic particles can adsorb, transport, and release harmful substances, amplifying their ecological and health risks beyond the physical effects of the particles alone.
Persistent organic pollutants carried on plastic resin pellets from two beaches in China
Researchers found that plastic resin pellets collected from two Chinese beaches contained significant concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, and other persistent organic pollutants sorbed to their surfaces. The findings confirm that plastic pellets act as vectors for long-range transport of multiple classes of hydrophobic chemical contaminants in marine environments.
The Dual Role of Microplastics in Marine Environment: Sink and Vectors of Pollutants
This review examines the dual role of microplastics in the marine environment as both accumulators of persistent organic pollutants and vectors that transport these chemicals and other contaminants including heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens. The study highlights how microplastics can concentrate toxic substances from seawater and then release them when ingested by marine organisms, creating additional exposure pathways.
Microplastics as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in the marine environment: A state-of-the-science review
This state-of-the-science review examined whether microplastics serve as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in marine organisms. The study found that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of sorbed chemicals, their relative importance as an exposure route compared to other pathways like water and food remains an active area of research with varying conclusions depending on environmental conditions.
A systematic review of microplastics in the environment: Sampling, separation, characterization and coexistence mechanisms with pollutants
Massive microplastic pollution was documented across Africa, Asia, India, South Africa, North America, and Europe, with MPs acting as carriers of heavy metals that enter organisms and cause harm. The adsorption capacity of organic pollutants onto microplastics correlated with hydrophobicity, surface area, and functional group characteristics.
Microplastics as carriers of toxic pollutants: Source, transport, and toxicological effects
This review summarizes how microplastics absorb and carry toxic pollutants like persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and antibiotics through the environment, concentrating these harmful chemicals as they move through ecosystems. When organisms ingest these contaminated particles, the pollutants can build up in the food chain and eventually reach humans, making microplastics not just a physical hazard but also a chemical delivery system.
Research progress of persistent organic pollutants in water: classification, sources, potential risks, and treatment approaches
This review summarizes existing research on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in water, covering their sources, classification, and health risks. The paper notes that microplastics act as carriers for these long-lasting toxic chemicals, transporting them through water systems and potentially increasing human exposure. Understanding how microplastics interact with POPs is important because it means plastic pollution may amplify the health risks of other chemical contaminants.
Current understanding of microplastics in the environment: Occurrence, fate, risks, and what we should do
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic occurrence, environmental fate, and risk across marine, freshwater, and atmospheric compartments, noting that both the physical particles and the chemicals they carry pose hazards. The authors call for a more integrated risk assessment framework that treats microplastics as both a pollutant and a carrier of other pollutants.
Microplastics as a vector of hydrophobic contaminants: Importance of hydrophobic additives
This paper examines the role of hydrophobicity in determining whether organic pollutants sorbed to microplastics pose a meaningful additional risk beyond direct water exposure. The authors argue that for most scenarios, the contribution of microplastics to total pollutant exposure is smaller than commonly assumed and depends heavily on the properties of the specific chemical and polymer.
Investigating the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics via experimental, simulation, and prediction methods
This review systematically examined experimental, simulation, and predictive modeling approaches for studying the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics, synthesizing findings on how molecular interactions, environmental conditions, and plastic aging affect microplastic vector behavior for organic pollutants.
Transport of micro- and nanoplastics in the environment: Trojan-Horse effect for organic contaminants
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics act as carriers for organic contaminants in the environment, a phenomenon known as the Trojan-Horse effect. Researchers found that these tiny plastic particles can adsorb both their own chemical additives and external pollutants, transporting them across ecosystems through water, air, and soil. The study suggests that the ability of microplastics to concentrate and deliver harmful chemicals to organisms may amplify their environmental and health impacts beyond the effects of the plastic particles alone.
Study of contaminants transported by microplastics in the Lebanese marine environment
Researchers investigated microplastics in the Lebanese Mediterranean coastal environment as vectors for contaminant transport, applying multi-scope analytical approaches to assess environmental risks posed by plastic-associated pollutants including heavy metals, persistent organic compounds, and other chemical classes.
Weight of Evidence for the Microplastic Vector Effect in the Context of Chemical Risk Assessment
This study critically evaluates the evidence for microplastics acting as vectors that increase organism exposure to plastic-associated chemicals, finding that the vector effect is generally minor compared to other exposure routes in realistic environmental scenarios.
Microplastics as vectors of contaminants
This review highlights the emerging role of microplastics as carriers of biological and chemical contaminants in water environments. Researchers note that while microplastic pollution is increasingly well-documented, the interactions between contaminants adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces and aquatic organisms remain poorly understood. The study stresses the need for further investigation into how microplastics may facilitate the transport and bioavailability of pollutants.
Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants: Exploring sorption, desorption, and transfer to biota
This review explores how microplastics interact with hydrophobic organic chemicals in aquatic environments, examining the processes of chemical sorption onto and desorption from plastic particles. Researchers discuss the factors that influence whether microplastics act as significant carriers of environmental contaminants into living organisms compared to natural pathways. Understanding these processes is essential for accurately assessing the real-world risk that microplastics pose as chemical transport vehicles.