Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Multibiomarker responses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics in thumbprint emperor Lethrinus harak from a South Pacific locally managed marine area

A multibiomarker assessment of thumbprint emperor fish from a South Pacific marine protected area found detectable microplastics in digestive tracts and elevated PAH metabolites in bile, suggesting that even locally managed conservation areas do not insulate fish from plastic and chemical contaminant exposure.

2021 Scientific Reports 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Baseline toxicological assessment of biliary PAHs and heavy metals contamination in a commercially consumed native fish (Mugil cephalus) within Fiji coastal waters

This study used mullet fish (Mugil cephalus) as sentinel organisms to assess heavy metal and PAH contamination in Fiji's coastal waters, identifying measurable health risks to local communities that rely on fish consumption. While the study focuses on chemical pollutants rather than microplastics, it is not directly relevant to microplastic research.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption, Extraction, and Characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmentally Weathered Microplastics, Particulate Organic Matter, Sediment, and Fish Species in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bay System

Researchers studied how microplastics carry cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Lavaca-Matagorda Bay system in Texas. They found PAHs attached to microplastics, sediment, and in the digestive systems of three commercially important fish species. This shows that microplastics can act as vehicles for toxic chemicals in coastal waters, potentially affecting the safety of fish that people eat.

2025 Environment & Health 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in the Thumbprint emperor (Lethrinus harak) from Tanzanian coastal waters: Occurrence, abundance, characterization, and relevance as a monitoring species

Researchers examined nearly 400 Thumbprint emperor fish from Tanzanian coastal waters and found microplastics in 48% of individuals, with fibers and black-colored particles being most common. While the fish show potential as a pollution monitoring species for East Africa, the inconsistent relationship between microplastics in fish and levels in surrounding water or sediment limits its reliability as a straightforward indicator.

2024 Regional Studies in Marine Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their human health risks depend on the characteristics of microplastics in marine organisms of Sanggou Bay, China

This study found that the type and characteristics of microplastics present in marine organisms from Sanggou Bay, China, influenced how much of the harmful chemical pollutant PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) accumulated in their tissues. Smaller, more degraded microplastics carried more PAHs into organisms, raising the human health risk from eating contaminated seafood and highlighting that microplastics act as vehicles for other toxic chemicals.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water and Microplastics

Researchers measured five cancer-linked PAH compounds in water samples and found that microplastics can bind these chemicals, potentially concentrating them. This suggests microplastics may act as carriers of carcinogenic compounds in drinking water and aquatic environments.

2021 Scientific Repository of the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and PAHs mixed contamination: An in-depth review on the sources, co-occurrence, and fate in marine ecosystems

This review examines how microplastics and PAHs (cancer-causing chemicals from fossil fuel burning) interact in ocean environments, with microplastics acting as carriers that help spread these toxic chemicals through marine ecosystems. This combined contamination matters for human health because both pollutants can accumulate in seafood and potentially reach people through diet.

2024 Water Research 99 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources, Occurrences, and Risks of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydro-Carbons (PAHs) in Bangladesh: A Review of Current Status

This review examines levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toxic chemicals from burning fossil fuels, across water, soil, air, and seafood in Bangladesh, finding concentrations higher than in most other countries. Health assessments revealed both cancer and non-cancer risks to residents from eating contaminated seafood. While focused on PAHs rather than microplastics directly, the findings are relevant because microplastics can absorb and concentrate these same cancer-causing chemicals, potentially worsening human exposure.

2024 Atmosphere 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in water, sediment and fish from the Fengshan River system: Relationship to aquatic factors and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by fish

Microplastics were found throughout the Fengshan River system in Taiwan in water, sediment, and fish, with demersal fish at higher trophic levels accumulating more particles, and high concentrations of harmful PAH compounds also found in fish muscle. The study connects microplastic distribution to river pollution indicators and fish feeding ecology.

2020 Environmental Pollution 245 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential of microplastics participate in selective bioaccumulation of low-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons depending on the biological habits of fishes

Researchers collected fish and water from the Pearl River and found that microplastics were associated with selective bioaccumulation of low-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish tissues depending on feeding behavior and habitat. Bottom-feeding fish with higher microplastic body burdens also had elevated PAH concentrations, suggesting a carrier effect.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Human health risk assessment for consumption of microplastics and plasticizing substances through marine species

Researchers analyzed three seafood species from Ecuador and found microplastics along with plastic-derived chemicals including bisphenol-A and phthalates in all samples. The microplastics ranged in size from less than 1 micrometer to over 100 micrometers and included fragments, fibers, and films. The study assessed human health risks from consuming these contaminated species and found that estimated daily intake of certain plasticizers approached levels of concern.

2023 Environmental Research 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface water and sediment of the Bay of Bengal coastal area, India: sources, pathway and ecological risk

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in surface water and sediment along two Bay of Bengal coastal beaches in India and found microplastics present at both sites. They also detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a group of harmful chemicals, adsorbed onto the microplastic surfaces at concentrations that varied by particle shape. The study highlights that microplastics in coastal waters act as carriers for toxic organic pollutants, potentially increasing ecological risks in the marine environment.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons affiliated with microplastics in surface waters of Bohai and Huanghai Seas, China

Microplastics collected from surface waters of the Bohai and Huanghai Seas in China were found to carry polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at concentrations exceeding those in surrounding water, acting as concentrators of these carcinogenic compounds. The study documents that microplastics in heavily industrialized Chinese coastal seas accumulate PAHs that can be transferred to organisms that ingest them.

2018 Environmental Pollution 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastic in trawl fish caught in Padang City (Indonesia) coastal area

Researchers characterized microplastics found in trawl fish caught along the coastal waters of Padang City, Indonesia, documenting the types, abundance, and potential carcinogenic risk posed by microplastic contamination in commercially important fish species.

2023 Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastic contamination in an eastern Pacific tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and evaluation of its health risk implication through molecular docking and metabolomics studies

Researchers found microplastic contamination across multiple organs of skipjack tuna from the Eastern Pacific, with molecular docking and metabolomics analyses revealing potential health risks from microplastic-associated chemical exposure through seafood consumption.

2023 Food Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Considering ecological traits of fishes to understand microplastic ingestion across Pacific coastal fisheries

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in coastal fish across four Pacific Island nations (Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) using standardized methods. By analyzing 878 fish across multiple species, they found that ecological traits such as feeding behavior and habitat use influenced microplastic ingestion patterns, providing important context for understanding contamination risks in Pacific coastal fisheries.

2026 PLoS ONE
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastic Exposure to Marine Fish in the Marine Tourism Area of Makassar City

Researchers investigated microplastic exposure in marine fish from a tourism area in Makassar City, Indonesia, finding microplastics in fish digestive tracts with fragments and filaments predominating, indicating that plastic pollution has entered local marine food chains in a heavily visited coastal zone.

2022 Indo J Chem Res 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Voyaging of halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, an emerging group of pollutants, on micro-mesoplastics in the marine environment.

Researchers detected 61 of 75 target halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in micro-mesoplastics collected from coastal environments in Sri Lanka and Japan, finding that plastic surfaces accumulate these emerging pollutants at concentrations far exceeding surrounding sediments and that chlorinated PAHs dominated over brominated forms at both sites.

2023 Journal of hazardous materials
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Meta-Analysis of a New Georeferenced Database on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Western and Central Mediterranean Seafood

This meta-analysis built a georeferenced database of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in Western and Central Mediterranean seafood, finding that PAH levels vary significantly by species biology, habitat, and proximity to pollution sources. Filter-feeding organisms and those in coastal areas showed higher contamination levels. PAHs are among the hydrophobic organic pollutants that readily adsorb onto microplastic surfaces, making microplastics potential vectors for concentrating and transporting these carcinogens through marine food webs.

2022 Applied Sciences 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Xiamen coastal areas: Implications for anthropogenic impacts

Researchers measured both microplastic abundance and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in surface water and sediments of Xiamen coastal areas in southeast China. The study found that microplastic distribution correlated with urbanization and industrial activity patterns, suggesting that anthropogenic inputs drive co-contamination of coastal environments with both microplastics and chemical pollutants.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 261 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Smoke-Dried Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) from Selected Markets in Benin City, Nigeria

This paper is not about microplastics; it measures polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in smoke-dried catfish sold in markets in Benin City, Nigeria, finding naphthalene as the main risk compound and calculating cancer risk factors for consumers.

2023 Environmental sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of cancer risk of microplastics enriched with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Researchers assessed the cancer risk of microplastics originating from e-waste that had adsorbed carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The study found that microplastics effectively captured PAHs through adsorption and estimated the probable cancer risk from human ingestion of PAH-enriched microplastics, suggesting this exposure pathway warrants further health risk evaluation.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 257 citations
Article Tier 2

The influences of spatial-temporal variability and ecological drivers on microplastic in marine fish in Hong Kong

Researchers found that over 57% of marine fish in Hong Kong waters contained microplastics, with higher abundance in fish from more polluted western waters during the wet season, and that omnivorous fish ingested significantly more microplastics than carnivorous fish regardless of collection location or season.

2023 Environmental Pollution 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Ingestion of plastic by fish destined for human consumption in remote South Pacific Islands

Plastic was found in the digestive tracts of 24 fish species collected from local fishermen and markets across remote South Pacific islands, with species consuming plastic regardless of feeding guild. The results raise public health concerns for Pacific island communities where fish is a dietary staple and plastic marine debris is widespread.

2018 Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs 51 citations