Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A review of human and animals exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Health risk and adverse effects, photo-induced toxicity and regulating effect of microplastics

This review examines the health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toxic chemicals from burning fossil fuels, and how microplastics can change their behavior in the environment. Microplastics absorb PAHs on their surface, potentially carrying these cancer-causing chemicals into organisms that ingest the contaminated particles. The combined toxicity of PAHs attached to microplastics may be greater than either pollutant alone, increasing risks to both wildlife and human health.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 403 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

Polycyclic Aromatic Aydrocarbons (PAHs) Pollution Approaches in Aquatic Ecosystems: Perils and Remedies Using Green Technologies

This review covers the sources, health risks, and cleanup methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persistent chemical pollutants found throughout aquatic ecosystems. Researchers found that green technologies, including biological and plant-based approaches, show promise for removing PAHs from contaminated water. The study highlights how these pollutants, like microplastics, can carry additional toxic compounds and move through aquatic food chains.

2024 Zagazig Veterinary Journal/Zagazig Veterinary Journal (Online) 9 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

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

Interactions between polyaromatic hydrocarbons and microplastics: Environmental mechanisms and ecotoxicological impacts

This review examines how microplastics interact with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of toxic organic pollutants found throughout the environment. Evidence indicates that microplastics can adsorb these pollutants and alter their availability and toxicity to living organisms, with effects depending on plastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions. The study identifies critical gaps in long-term exposure research and calls for standardized testing methods to better assess these combined risks.

2025 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Cancer may be induced by microplastics-sorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?

This review explores the potential link between microplastics that have absorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cancer risk in humans. Researchers found that microplastics can act as carriers for persistent organic pollutants, and laboratory studies suggest these contaminated particles may enhance metastatic characteristics in cancer cells. The study indicates that the combination of microplastics and adsorbed pollutants may pose a heightened concern for human health.

2024 Oral Oncology Reports 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics in animals and humans

This review summarizes the harmful effects of microplastics on animals and humans, noting that plastic degradation releases carcinogenic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, while additives like phthalates and bisphenol-A disrupt hormonal and reproductive systems.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Adsorption of PAHs and PCDD/Fs in Microplastics: A Review

This review examines the adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) onto microplastics, highlighting how microplastics can act as vectors transporting these toxic compounds through aquatic environments and into organisms that ingest them.

2022 Microplastics 30 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 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
Review Tier 2

Application of biosensors in the petrochemical industry: a mini review on the sensing platforms for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons detection

This mini-review covers biosensor technologies for detecting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are toxic chemicals commonly adsorbed onto microplastics in aquatic environments. PAHs can be transported to organisms via microplastic ingestion, increasing their exposure to these harmful compounds.

2019 International Journal of Biosensors & Bioelectronics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Modulation of PAH toxicity on the freshwater organism G. roeseli by microparticles

Researchers investigated whether polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics modify the aquatic toxicity of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon phenanthrene in the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli. The study found that microplastics altered the bioavailability and toxicity of phenanthrene, with effects depending on plastic type and exposure conditions.

2020 Environmental Pollution 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of the Presence and Possible Migration from Microplastics of Phthalic Acid Esters and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

This study examined the presence of phthalate esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various everyday plastic products and assessed their potential to leach into the environment. Plastic additives like phthalates are endocrine disruptors that can leach from microplastics into surrounding media, posing risks to organisms that ingest plastic particles or live in contaminated water.

2020 Journal of Polymers and the Environment 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as a Modifier of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Toxicity: A Review on Context-Dependent Effects Across Organisms

This review of 45 studies found that tiny plastic particles (microplastics) don't just add to the harm caused by toxic chemicals called PAHs—they can either make these chemicals more or less dangerous depending on the situation. The plastic pieces can either help chemicals get absorbed more easily into living things or trap the chemicals and reduce exposure. Since microplastics and these toxic chemicals are found together in our environment, this research shows we need better ways to understand how pollution mixtures affect human and environmental health.

2026 Biology
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 associated PAHs in surface water from the Feilaixia Reservoir in the Beijiang River, China

Microplastics collected from surface water in the Feilaixia Reservoir in China were found to be associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with higher PAH concentrations on microplastics than in the surrounding water. The results suggest microplastics can concentrate and transport PAHs in reservoir systems, posing risks to aquatic life and potentially to drinking water.

2019 Chemosphere 293 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the interplay between microplastics, polyciclic aromatic hidrocarbons and biofilms in freshwater

Researchers explored how microplastics interact with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in freshwater, and how both pollutants together form biofilms. The study found that microplastics can act as concentration surfaces for PAHs, potentially amplifying toxic exposure in organisms that ingest plastic particles.

2019 Scientific Repository of the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge)
Article Tier 2

Current innovative approaches in reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in processed meat and meat products

This review examines how cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form in processed meats during cooking methods like grilling, smoking, and frying. While not directly about microplastics, PAHs are relevant because they are among the harmful chemicals that can attach to microplastic surfaces in the environment. The paper discusses various strategies to reduce PAH formation in food, which matters for overall exposure to carcinogens through the diet.

2023 Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 30 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microbes and Microbial Strategies in Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Remediation: A Systematic Review

This systematic review catalogued microbial strategies for remediating carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the environment, including enzymatic degradation, biofilm formation, and genetically engineered microorganisms. The research is relevant to microplastics because PAHs frequently adsorb onto microplastic surfaces, and microbial degradation of both the plastics and their associated pollutants is an active area of investigation.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradation and Impact of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Environment: A Review

This review examines polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — toxic compounds produced by incomplete combustion of fuels — covering their environmental sources, biodegradation pathways, and health risks including cancer, which they pose to humans, animals, and ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Vehicles of Environmental PAHs to Marine Organisms: Combined Chemical and Physical Hazards to the Mediterranean Mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis

Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to microplastics that had adsorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated harbor water and observed both physical and chemical hazard effects. The study found that microplastics acted as vehicles delivering PAHs to mussel tissues, causing cellular stress responses, immune modulation, and genotoxicity beyond what clean microplastics produced alone.

2018 Frontiers in Marine Science 383 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