Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of polyethylene particles on dibutyl phthalate toxicity in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.).

Polyethylene microplastic fragments in soil reduced the uptake of the plasticizer chemical dibutyl phthalate (DBP) into lettuce roots but worsened its inhibitory effects on root growth. The complex interactions between microplastics and co-occurring chemical contaminants like phthalates can alter toxicity in unexpected ways, affecting both plant growth and the safety of food crops.

2021 Journal of hazardous materials
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene particles combined with di-butyl phthalate cause significant decrease in photosynthesis and red lettuce quality

Researchers grew red lettuce hydroponically with polystyrene microplastics and dibutyl phthalate, finding that microplastics reduced the bioavailability of the plasticizer while simultaneously decreasing photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content.

2021 Environmental Pollution 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Mediated Heavy Metal Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.): Implications for Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability

Researchers grew lettuce in contaminated soil mixed with different types of microplastics, including fibers, glitter, and fragments from bags and bottles. They found that microplastics altered how heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and copper moved through the soil and into the plants, sometimes increasing uptake of toxic metals in roots while decreasing others in leaves. The results raise concerns about food safety in agricultural areas where both microplastic and heavy metal contamination overlap.

2025 Molecules 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastic modulates lettuce root exudates and induces oxidative damage under prolonged hydroponic exposure

Researchers grew lettuce in water containing polyethylene microplastics for 28 days and found that the plastics changed the chemical signals the roots released and caused oxidative damage in the leaves. While the plants looked mostly normal on the outside, the microplastics altered the root chemistry in ways that could affect nutrient uptake and plant defense. This is relevant to human health because lettuce is widely consumed and may be grown in microplastic-contaminated water or soil.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 33 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

Co-exposure of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) decreased the submicron plastic stress in soil–plant system

This study investigated how submicron plastic particles and the plasticizer DEHP interact in soil-lettuce systems, unexpectedly finding that DEHP reduced plastic uptake into lettuce roots and alleviated—rather than exacerbated—the phytotoxic effects of the plastics.

2025 Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin)
Article Tier 2

Combined toxicity influence of polypropylene microplastics and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate on physiological-biochemical characteristics of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Researchers investigated the combined effects of polypropylene microplastics and the plasticizer DEHP on cucumber seedling health. They found that microplastics alone impaired photosynthesis and cell membrane stability, while DEHP individually also caused stress responses, but the mixture of both pollutants together produced more complex effects on the plants' antioxidant defenses. The study suggests that the co-presence of microplastics and plastic additives in agricultural soil may pose compounding risks to crop development.

2023 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) decreased the submicron plastic stress in soil–plant system

Researchers exposed lettuce plants to submicron plastic particles combined with DEHP (a common plasticizer found in agricultural films), finding that DEHP surprisingly reduced how much plastic the plants absorbed and lowered oxidative stress markers. This unexpected result suggests that when plastics and their chemical additives are present together in soil — as they typically are — they can counteract each other's harmful effects rather than amplifying them.

2025 Eco-Environment & Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of different particle size microplastics and di-n-butyl phthalate on photosynthesis and quality of spinach

Researchers investigated how microplastics of different sizes combined with the plasticizer di-n-butyl phthalate affect spinach growth and photosynthesis in hydroponic experiments. They found that the combined pollution significantly reduced key photosynthetic parameters, with effects varying by microplastic particle size and concentration. The study highlights the potential for microplastic-associated chemical contaminants to impair crop productivity in agricultural settings.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable microplastics induce profound changes in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) defense mechanisms and to some extent deteriorate growth traits

Researchers tested the effects of biodegradable plastic microplastics on lettuce growth and found that while the plants still grew, the microplastics caused significant stress at the cellular level. The plastic particles reduced chlorophyll content, triggered oxidative stress, and forced plants to activate their defense mechanisms, which affected their weight and nutrient content. This challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to crops and raises questions about food quality from microplastic-contaminated soil.

2024 Environmental Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Foliar exposure to microplastics disrupts lettuce metabolism and negatively interferes with symbiotic microbial communities

When microplastics were sprayed onto lettuce leaves to simulate airborne contamination, the plants showed reduced chlorophyll and photosynthesis rates of up to 81%, even though they appeared to grow normally. The microplastics also disrupted beneficial bacteria on the leaves and in the soil around the roots, including bacteria that help plants grow. This suggests that airborne microplastics landing on crops could quietly reduce their health and productivity while also harming the soil ecosystem.

2025 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 9 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

Synergistic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastics and Cadmium on the Metabolic Processes and Their Accumulation in Hydroponically Grown Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

When lettuce was grown with both nanoplastics and the toxic metal cadmium, the plants absorbed 61-67% more of both contaminants compared to exposure to either one alone. The combined pollution triggered a stronger stress response in the plants and changed how they grew. This is concerning for human health because it means nanoplastics in agricultural soil could significantly increase the amount of toxic heavy metals that end up in salad greens and other food crops.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Soil Microplastics on Plant Growth and Soil Health

A greenhouse experiment found that polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics at increasing concentrations reduced lettuce biomass, altered soil microbial activity, and changed soil structure and water retention, with effects more pronounced at higher MP concentrations.

2025 Knowledgeable Research A Multidisciplinary Journal
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics and combined pollution of polystyrene and di-n-octyl phthalate on photosynthesis of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Researchers studied how different types of microplastics and a common plastic plasticizer affect photosynthesis in cucumber plants. They found that the combination of polystyrene microplastics and the plasticizer had the most severe impact, reducing chlorophyll production and damaging the photosynthetic machinery. The study suggests that microplastic pollution in agricultural soils, especially combined with chemical additives that leach from plastics, could meaningfully impair crop growth.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the impact of nano-microscale polyethylene and polypropylene plastics on Nicotiana tabacum: Physiological responses and molecular mechanisms

Researchers exposed tobacco plants to polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics of different sizes and found that both types suppressed plant growth in a dose-dependent manner, with polypropylene being more toxic. The microplastics disrupted photosynthesis, triggered oxidative stress, and altered hormone signaling and defense pathways in the plants. These findings demonstrate that microplastic contamination in soil can impair crop growth at the molecular level, potentially affecting agricultural productivity.

2025 Environmental and Experimental Botany 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of co-presence of cadmium or procymidone with microplastic films in soil on lettuce growth

Pot experiments growing lettuce in soil contaminated with cadmium or the fungicide procymidone alongside LDPE or PVC microplastic films found that co-presence of microplastics with chemical contaminants produced subtle but measurable effects on plant growth. This matters because agricultural soils frequently contain both microplastics and chemical pollutants simultaneously, and their combined effects on food crops may differ from what single-contaminant studies would predict.

2023 Applied Biological Chemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Mutual Effects and Uptake of Organic Contaminants and Nanoplastics by Lettuce in Co-Exposure

Researchers found that when lettuce was grown with both nanoplastics and common agricultural pollutants, the nanoplastics dramatically increased the amount of the painkiller ibuprofen absorbed into the plant's leaves (by up to 309% in salty conditions). This means nanoplastics in farm soil could act as carriers that boost how much of other harmful chemicals end up in the food we eat. The study highlights how microplastic contamination in agriculture can amplify human exposure to multiple pollutants at once.

2024 ACS Agricultural Science & Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

The dosage- and size-dependent effects of micro- and nanoplastics in lettuce roots and leaves at the growth, photosynthetic, and metabolomics levels

Researchers studied the effects of polyethylene micro- and nanoplastics on lettuce plants, varying both particle size and concentration. They found that particle size played a pivotal role in influencing plant growth, photosynthetic activity, and metabolic processes, with nanoplastics generally causing more pronounced effects than larger microplastics. The study suggests that the smallest plastic particles pose the greatest risk to crop health by disrupting plant physiology at multiple levels.

2024 Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of polystyrene on di-butyl phthalate (DBP) bioavailability and DBP-induced phytotoxicity in lettuce

Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics of different sizes affect the bioavailability of the plasticizer di-butyl phthalate and its toxicity to lettuce plants. They found that smaller nanoscale polystyrene particles increased DBP uptake by the plants, while larger particles reduced it by adsorbing the chemical. The study demonstrates that microplastics can act as carriers for harmful chemicals in agricultural soils, with particle size determining whether they amplify or reduce pollutant exposure to crops.

2020 Environmental Pollution 149 citations