Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 632 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of organic pollutants in aquatic environment: A review on mechanisms, numerical models, and influencing factors

This review examines how microplastics act as carriers for organic pollutants in water, adsorbing chemicals like pesticides and pharmaceuticals onto their surfaces and transporting them through aquatic environments. Researchers analyzed the mechanisms behind this process, including hydrophobic interactions and surface adsorption, along with the mathematical models used to predict pollutant uptake. The study highlights that microplastics may amplify the environmental impact of other contaminants by concentrating and redistributing them.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Article Tier 2

The bioaccumulation effects of microplastics and associated organic pollutants in the aquatic environment

This review examined how microplastics in aquatic environments interact with organic pollutants through adsorption, affecting the bioaccumulation and toxicity of those pollutants in aquatic organisms due to the high hydrophobicity of microplastic surfaces.

2021 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water 47 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 476 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of organic pollutants by microplastics: Overview of a dissonant literature

This review critically examines the scientific literature on how microplastics adsorb organic pollutants in aquatic environments. Researchers found significant inconsistencies across studies regarding the mechanisms and extent of pollutant uptake by microplastics, noting that factors like particle size, polymer type, and environmental conditions all play important roles. The study calls for more standardized research methods to better understand whether microplastics meaningfully increase human and wildlife exposure to these co-pollutants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 113 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Scientia Sinica Chimica 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and interaction of organic micropollutants with nano and microplastics – A review

This review analyzed the adsorption behavior of organic micropollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals — onto nano- and microplastics, finding that adsorption is governed by pollutant hydrophobicity, particle surface area, and aging state, and that microplastics can act as vectors delivering co-contaminants to aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 216 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 211 citations
Article Tier 2

Size-dependent vector effects of microplastics on bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in earthworm: A dual-dosing study

Researchers developed a dual-dosing method to directly measure how microplastics act as carriers for hydrophobic organic contaminants in earthworms. The study found that smaller microplastic particles had greater vector effects, increasing bioaccumulation of pollutants, and that dermal uptake played a significant role in contaminant transfer from microplastics to organisms.

2024 Environment International 11 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 331 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm-Developed Microplastics As Vectors of Pollutants in Aquatic Environments

This review examines how biofilms that form on microplastics in aquatic environments change their ability to absorb and transport pollutants. Researchers found that biofilm-coated microplastics can absorb more contaminants than clean microplastics and serve as vectors that transfer both pollutants and potentially harmful microorganisms through aquatic ecosystems.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 349 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 205 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants in the food chain: Assessing the combined toxicological effects and bioavailability

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics act as carriers for environmental pollutants including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and microbial agents as they move through food chains. Researchers detail how polymer type, particle size, and environmental conditions influence the binding and release of these contaminants. The study highlights that the combined toxicity of microplastics together with the pollutants they carry may be greater than either would cause alone.

2025 Toxicology Letters 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions of microplastics with contaminants in freshwater systems: a review of characteristics, bioaccessibility, and environmental factors affecting sorption

This review examined how microplastics act as vectors for environmental contaminants in freshwater systems, analyzing the characteristics, bioaccessibility, and environmental factors that influence pollutant sorption onto plastic particles and their potential transfer to organisms including humans.

2023 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 11 citations
Review Tier 2

Uptake/release of organic contaminants by microplastics: A critical review of influencing factors, mechanistic modeling, and thermodynamic prediction methods

This review critically examines the ability of microplastics to absorb and release organic chemical pollutants, evaluating the factors that influence this process and existing predictive models. Understanding whether microplastics act as significant vectors for pollutants into food chains requires better thermodynamic models that account for real-world complexity.

2020 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Trojan horse effects of microplastics: A mini-review about their role as a vector of organic and inorganic compounds in several matrices

This review examines the 'Trojan horse' role of microplastics as vectors for organic and inorganic pollutants, finding that adsorption follows Freundlich models and that contaminant transfer to organisms is species-specific, with some species showing increased and others decreased toxicant bioavailability.

2023 AIMS environmental science 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as Potential Vector of Antibiotics in Aquatic Media: Environmental Implications

This review examined the role of microplastics as vectors for antibiotics in aquatic environments, highlighting how their small size, large surface area, and hydrophobicity enable them to concentrate organic pollutants. Co-exposure of microplastics and antibiotics can enhance bioaccumulation in organisms and amplify environmental risk.

2025
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of organic pollutants and metals on micro/nanoplastics in the aquatic environment

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments adsorb organic pollutants and metals onto their surfaces, effectively acting as carriers for other contaminants. Researchers found that environmental factors like pH, salinity, and aging of the plastic significantly influence this sorption behavior. The findings raise concerns that microplastics may increase the bioavailability and toxicity of chemical pollutants in waterways.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 685 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic properties and their interaction with hydrophobic organic contaminants: a review

This review examines the physical and chemical properties of microplastics that determine how they interact with hydrophobic organic contaminants in the environment. Researchers found that factors like polymer type, particle size, weathering, and surface chemistry all influence how strongly microplastics bind to co-occurring pollutants. The findings suggest that microplastics can serve as carriers for harmful chemicals, potentially increasing exposure risks for organisms that ingest them.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 169 citations