Papers

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Article Tier 2

Differential Impacts of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on Cadmium Transfer in a Soil-Earthworm-Lettuce System

Researchers compared how conventional and biodegradable microplastics affect cadmium transfer through a soil-earthworm-lettuce system. They found that high doses of conventional microplastics increased cadmium concentrations in lettuce shoots by 54 percent and in earthworms by 80 percent, while biodegradable microplastics actually decreased shoot cadmium by 30 percent. The study suggests that different types of microplastics have opposing effects on heavy metal contamination in the food chain.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and metals: Microplastics generated from biodegradable polylactic acid mulch reduce bioaccumulation of cadmium in earthworms compared to those generated from polyethylene

Researchers compared how microplastics from biodegradable (PLA) and conventional (polyethylene) plastic mulch interact with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, in soil with earthworms. PLA microplastics absorbed much more cadmium than polyethylene, reducing the amount of this toxic metal available to earthworms. While this suggests biodegradable plastics may offer some protection against heavy metal exposure in contaminated soils, both types still contribute to microplastic pollution.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Polylactic acid microplastics and earthworms drive cadmium bioaccumulation and toxicity in the soil–radish health community

Researchers examined how polylactic acid microplastics combined with earthworm activity affect cadmium uptake and toxicity in radish plants grown in contaminated soil. The combined treatment significantly increased cadmium accumulation in both roots and leaves while reducing plant biomass by approximately 75% compared to cadmium exposure alone. The findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics and soil fauna together can amplify heavy metal contamination risks in food crops.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biodegradable microplastics and Cd co-pollution on Cd bioavailability and plastisphere in soil-plant system

Researchers examined how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in agricultural soil where lettuce is grown. They found that the biodegradable plastics indirectly increased cadmium availability to plants by lowering soil pH and changing soil chemistry. The study suggests that even eco-friendly biodegradable plastics may worsen heavy metal contamination risks in farming soils.

2024 Chemosphere 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of microplastics and cadmium on the soil-plant system: Phytotoxicity, Cd accumulation and microbial activity

Researchers tested how different microplastic types combined with cadmium affect plant growth and soil health. Aged and biodegradable microplastics increased cadmium uptake in mustard greens more than fresh conventional plastics did. The study also found that microplastics altered soil microbial activity, suggesting that plastic pollution in farmland could change how plants absorb toxic metals from contaminated soil.

2023 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of co-exposure biodegradable microplastics polylactic acid with cadmium are higher than conventional microplastics polystyrene with cadmium on the earthworm

This study compared the effects of biodegradable PLA microplastics and conventional polystyrene microplastics when combined with cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) on earthworms. Surprisingly, the biodegradable PLA combined with cadmium was more toxic than the conventional plastic combination, causing greater DNA damage and more disruption to antioxidant defenses. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are safer for the environment and raises questions about their use as a replacement for conventional plastics.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic dilemma: Assessing the unexpected trade-offs between biodegradable and non-biodegradable forms on plant health, cadmium uptake, and sediment microbial ecology

This study compared the environmental effects of biodegradable and conventional plastic microplastics in contaminated sediments, finding that biodegradable plastics actually caused more oxidative stress and greater changes to soil bacteria than conventional plastics. Both types helped plant roots absorb more of the toxic metal cadmium. The surprising finding that biodegradable plastics may pose higher ecological risks challenges the assumption that they are always a safer alternative.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on cadmium accumulation by rice and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in cadmium-contaminated soil

Researchers studied how three types of microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in rice paddies, examining effects on plant growth, metal uptake, and soil fungal communities. They found that while microplastics generally increased cadmium availability in soil, they actually decreased cadmium accumulation in rice tissues. Notably, biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics caused more harm to plant growth and soil communities than conventional plastic types, challenging the assumption that biodegradable plastics are always safer.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 171 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics from agricultural mulch and cadmium negatively impact earthworms by triggering neurotoxicity and disrupting homeostasis

Researchers exposed earthworms to environmentally realistic levels of microplastics from agricultural mulch film combined with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. The aged microplastics helped carry more cadmium into the earthworms' bodies, causing nerve damage, gut tissue injury, and disrupted metabolism. This study shows that microplastics in farm soil can make heavy metal contamination worse for soil organisms, with potential knock-on effects for the food chain.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable microplastics adsorb more Cd than conventional microplastic and biofilms enhance their adsorption

Researchers compared how biodegradable polylactic acid and conventional polyethylene microplastics adsorb the heavy metal cadmium, with and without biofilm development from outdoor weathering. They found that pristine PLA adsorbed significantly more cadmium than pristine PE, and that biofilms forming on weathered plastics were responsible for most of the increased cadmium uptake. The study suggests that biodegradable microplastics in agricultural soils may pose a greater risk for heavy metal transport than conventional plastics.

2025 Chemosphere 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of conventional versus biodegradable microplastic exposure on oxidative stress and gut microorganisms in earthworms: A comparison with two different soils

Researchers compared the toxic effects of conventional polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics on earthworms in two different soil types. Both types of microplastic caused oxidative stress and altered gut microbiota in earthworms, with toxicity increasing at higher concentrations. The study found that microplastic concentration was more important than the type of plastic or soil in determining the level of harm, and that biodegradable plastics were not necessarily safer for soil organisms.

2022 Chemosphere 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics and cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia foetida

Researchers studied the effects of microplastics alone and combined with the heavy metal cadmium on earthworms over 42 days. They found that both exposures reduced growth and increased mortality, with the combined treatment causing the most damage through increased oxidative stress. The study also revealed that microplastics can increase cadmium accumulation in earthworms by up to 161%, suggesting microplastics may worsen heavy metal contamination in soil ecosystems.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 330 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the impacts of biodegradable microplastics on cadmium toxicity, translocation, transformation, and metabolome in lettuce

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in lettuce and found that the combination worsened the toxic effects on plant growth compared to cadmium alone. The biodegradable plastics increased cadmium accumulation in the edible parts of the lettuce and altered how the metal was distributed within plant cells. The findings raise concerns about using biodegradable plastic mulch in soils already contaminated with heavy metals, as it may increase the amount of toxic metals that end up in food crops.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled Effects of Polyethylene Microplastics and Cadmium on Soil–Plant Systems: Impact on Soil Properties and Cadmium Uptake in Lettuce

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with cadmium contamination in soil and its effects on lettuce growth. The study found that microplastics combined with cadmium significantly decreased soil quality and that microplastics can alter cadmium uptake in plants, suggesting that co-contamination of agricultural soils with both pollutants may pose compounded risks to food crop safety.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on the Bioavailability of (Semi-)Metals in the Soil Earthworm Eisenia fetida

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics affect the uptake of cadmium and arsenic by earthworms in paddy soil. They found that microplastics altered the soil chemistry in ways that changed how much of these metals the earthworms absorbed, with effects varying by metal type and concentration. The study suggests that microplastics in contaminated agricultural soils can influence how toxic metals move through the food chain.

2025 Agronomy 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Cadmium and copper absorption by Eisenia fetida in the presence of different concentrations of microplastics

Researchers exposed earthworms (Eisenia fetida) to soil containing tire-derived microplastics alongside heavy metals cadmium and copper, finding that the microplastics increased the worms' uptake of both toxic metals. The results suggest that microplastics in soil act as carriers that make heavy metal contamination more bioavailable and dangerous for soil-dwelling organisms.

2023 Journal of Environmental Health Engineering
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Unveiling the impacts of microplastics on cadmium transfer in the soil-plant-human system: A review

A meta-analysis found that microplastics significantly increase soil cadmium bioavailability by 6.9% and cadmium accumulation in plant shoots by 9.3%, through both direct surface adsorption and indirect modification of soil pH and dissolved organic carbon. This enhanced cadmium mobility through the soil-plant-human food chain amplifies health risks, as co-ingestion of microplastics and cadmium increases cadmium bioaccessibility and tissue damage.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 46 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Microplastics Coexisting in Vegetable Soil on the Change of Cadmium Bioavailability].

Researchers investigated the effects of biodegradable microplastics co-occurring with cadmium in vegetable soil through a 60-day pot experiment with lettuce, examining how the combined contamination alters cadmium bioavailability and uptake relative to cadmium-only or microplastic-only conditions.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Microplastics aggravate the joint toxicity to earthworm Eisenia fetida with cadmium by altering its availability

Researchers exposed earthworms to polyethylene microplastics combined with cadmium and found that co-exposure caused significantly worse effects than either pollutant alone, including increased avoidance behavior, weight loss, and DNA damage. The microplastics increased the bioavailability of cadmium in soil by up to 1.43-fold and boosted cadmium accumulation in earthworm tissue by up to 2.65-fold. The study demonstrates that microplastics can worsen heavy metal toxicity to soil organisms by making the metals more accessible for uptake.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption Behaviors of Cadmium Regulated by Microplastics Properties in a Forest Soil

Microplastics and cadmium (a toxic heavy metal) frequently pollute forest soils together, and this study examined how different types, sizes, and concentrations of microplastics affect cadmium's behavior in soil. Biodegradable plastics like PBS and PBA adsorbed and released more cadmium than conventional polyethylene, and microplastics altered the soil's organic matter in ways that influenced how cadmium moved and became available to organisms. These findings matter because co-contamination by microplastics and heavy metals in soils may compound environmental and food-chain risks beyond what either pollutant causes alone.

2025 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plant Cadmium Toxicity and Biomarkers Are Differentially Modulated by Degradable and Nondegradable Microplastics in Soil

Researchers compared how degradable (polylactic acid) and nondegradable (polypropylene) microplastics affect cadmium toxicity in plants grown in contaminated soil. They found that polypropylene caused greater root growth inhibition, while polylactic acid led to higher levels of cellular stress markers at certain concentrations. The study reveals that both types of microplastics can alter soil chemistry and increase the uptake of heavy metals by crops, but through different mechanisms.

2024 Toxics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics increase cadmium uptake in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by altering the soil microenvironment

This study found that polyethylene microplastics in soil increased the amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, that lettuce plants absorbed. The microplastics changed soil chemistry by lowering pH and increasing dissolved organic carbon, which made cadmium more available for plant uptake. This is concerning because it suggests that microplastics in agricultural soil could make crops more contaminated with heavy metals, increasing the health risks for people who eat them.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in soils with contrasting texture, organic carbon and mineralogy: changes in cadmium adsorption forms and their mobility in soil columns

This study investigated how high-density polyethylene microplastics alter the behavior of cadmium — a toxic heavy metal — in soils with different textures, organic carbon contents, and mineral compositions. Using soil column experiments, researchers found that microplastics changed how cadmium binds to soil particles and how easily it leaches downward, with effects varying depending on the soil type and microplastic particle size. Since cadmium is a known carcinogen and agricultural soils commonly contain both microplastics and heavy metals, understanding their interactions is critical for food safety.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene and poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate)-based biodegradable microplastics modulate the bioavailability and speciation of Cd and As in soil: Insights into transformation mechanisms

Biodegradable PBAT and conventional polyethylene microplastics added to soil were both found to alter soil physicochemical properties and change the speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals including lead and cadmium. The study highlights that both conventional and so-called biodegradable microplastics can exacerbate heavy metal risks in contaminated agricultural soils.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 53 citations