Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Exploring the impact of polystyrene microplastics on human health: unravelling the health implications of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs): a comprehensive study on cytotoxicity, reproductive health, human exposure, and exposure assessment

This study explores the various ways polystyrene microplastics can affect human health, including through impacts on cells, reproductive tissues, and cumulative exposure from food and consumer products. Researchers found evidence that toxic chemicals leaching from polystyrene can enter the body through multiple routes and accumulate over time. The findings emphasize the importance of standardized methods for monitoring human microplastic exposure.

2024 Toxicology Research 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics in the oceans: Theory, experimental evidence and real world

Researchers critically review over 200 studies on nanoplastic pollution — focusing predominantly on polystyrene — synthesizing knowledge on how nanoplastics form from polymer degradation, accumulate in seawater, and affect organisms in controlled conditions, while identifying key methodological standards needed for reliable ecotoxicological assessments.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: challenges of assessment in biological samples and their implication for in vitro and in vivo effects

This review examines the challenges of detecting and assessing microplastics in biological samples, noting that analytical limitations and lack of standardized methods hinder our understanding of health effects. The study highlights that humans are exposed to microplastics primarily through ingestion and inhalation, and that more long-term studies with standardized protocols are needed to understand the full scope of potential biological impacts.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of the toxic effects and mechanisms of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics across multiple animal species

This review comprehensively examines the toxic effects of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics across marine animals, freshwater species, soil organisms, and mammals. Researchers found that these particles can cause damage at multiple biological levels, affecting the digestive, respiratory, nervous, reproductive, and circulatory systems. The study highlights the widespread environmental presence of polystyrene plastics and the need to better understand how they harm living organisms.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of nanoplastics in the marine organism Tisbe battagliai

This study examined the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on the marine copepod Tisbe battagliai, assessing impacts on survival and reproduction. Marine copepods are a foundational food web species, and understanding how nanoplastics affect them has implications for ocean ecosystem health.

2019 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo)
Article Tier 2

Review of ecotoxicological studies of widely used polystyrene nanoparticles

Researchers reviewed ecotoxicological studies on manufactured polystyrene nanoparticles and their effects on aquatic organisms. They found that many studies used insufficiently characterized particles and short-term exposure conditions that may not reflect real environmental scenarios. The review recommends improved particle characterization, proper purification before testing, and longer-term exposure studies to generate more environmentally relevant toxicity data.

2021 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 50 citations
Article Tier 2

The detrimental impact of microplastics on the Marine Environment and potential remediation strategies.

This review analyzes the detrimental impacts of microplastics on marine environments, summarizing documented hazards to marine life and ecosystems from historical and recent research, and evaluates several representative remediation strategies for addressing microplastic contamination. The authors found that microplastics interfere broadly with marine organism physiology and food web dynamics, and that current treatment approaches — including filtration, photocatalysis, and biological degradation — each carry limitations requiring further development for large-scale application.

2024 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Methods Matter: Methods for Sampling Microplastic and Other Anthropogenic Particles and Their Implications for Monitoring and Ecological Risk Assessment

This methods review examines how different sampling approaches for microplastics — including mesh size, sample volume, and processing techniques — affect quantification results, arguing that methodological inconsistency is a major barrier to ecological risk assessment.

2020 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 93 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of polystyrene microplastics on early stages of two marine invertebrates with different feeding strategies

Researchers exposed early life stages of two marine invertebrates to polystyrene microplastics to measure effects on development and survival. The study found that even early life stages are vulnerable to microplastic exposure, raising concerns about impacts on marine invertebrate populations.

2017 Environmental Pollution 191 citations
Review Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastic toxicity: A review on size, type, source, and test-organism implications

This comprehensive review analyzed 615 studies on the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics across different polymer types, sizes, and organisms. A major finding is that over 90% of nanoplastic research uses only polystyrene, leaving huge gaps in our understanding of other common plastics at the nanoscale. The review highlights that smaller particles are generally more toxic and that more research is urgently needed on the nanoplastics people are most likely to encounter in everyday life.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 149 citations
Article Tier 2

Studies of the effects of microplastics on aquatic organisms: What do we know and where should we focus our efforts in the future?

This review critically evaluates published research on microplastic effects on aquatic organisms and identifies significant gaps between laboratory experiments and real-world conditions. Researchers found that most studies use polystyrene spheres at concentrations far higher than those found in the environment, while the most common microplastics in nature are fragments and fibers of other polymer types. The study calls for more environmentally realistic experimental designs to better understand the actual ecological risks of microplastic pollution.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 1264 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics in the marine environment

This review synthesizes ecotoxicological evidence on the impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, drawing on over 50 scientific articles to assess effects at molecular, cellular, organ, individual, and population levels. The authors identify critical methodological limitations including non-standardized particle characteristics, limited species diversity in testing, and scarce community-level studies, concluding that current risk assessment frameworks are insufficient for the more than 5,300 grades of plastics entering marine ecosystems.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Systematic Review Tier 1

A review of potential human health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics exposure

This systematic review summarized 133 studies on how micro- and nanoplastics affect human health based on mammalian research. The evidence points to cell damage, inflammation, gut disruption, and reproductive harm, though most studies focused on polystyrene particles and more research is needed on other common plastic types.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 211 citations
Article Tier 2

An overview of the effects of nanoplastics on marine organisms

This review summarizes current knowledge about how nanoplastics affect marine organisms, from plankton to fish. Researchers highlight that these extremely small plastic particles are difficult to detect and measure, meaning their true environmental presence is likely underestimated. The study warns that the effects of nanoplastics on marine life could indirectly impact human health through the seafood supply chain.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Marine Environment: Occurrence, Distribution, and Extraction Methods in Marine Organisms

This review summarized the occurrence, distribution, and extraction methods of microplastics in marine organisms, highlighting how these particles enter marine food webs through runoff and atmospheric deposition and pose risks to ecosystems and human health.

2023 Open Journal of Ecology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological Effects of Microplastics: A Review.

Researchers reviewed how microplastics harm a wide range of living things, finding they cause physical damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and reproductive problems in aquatic animals, while also carrying toxic chemicals and dangerous bacteria into organisms. Major gaps remain in understanding the effects of long-term low-dose exposure and the risks posed by even tinier nanoplastics.

2025 Mağallaẗ ʻulūm al-rāfidayn
Article Tier 2

Trace analysis of polystyrene microplastics in natural waters

Researchers developed and evaluated analytical methods for trace-level quantification of polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics in natural water samples, addressing key challenges in sensitivity and accuracy that limit realistic environmental risk assessment.

2019 Chemosphere 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Hazard of polystyrene micro-and nanospheres to selected aquatic and terrestrial organisms

Researchers reviewed 294 studies on the toxicity of polystyrene micro- and nanospheres to various organisms including microorganisms, invertebrates, fish, and plants. The study found that aquatic invertebrates were the most studied group, nanosized particles received more attention than microsized ones, and roughly 40% of the data showed no observable effects on organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasting on microplastics: ingestion by and effects on marine organisms

This review synthesizes experimental studies on microplastic ingestion and effects across a wide range of marine organisms, finding evidence of physical harm, reproductive effects, and reduced feeding in multiple taxa. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the biological consequences of microplastic ingestion and identifies key knowledge gaps for future research.

2018 Aquatic Biology 236 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nano-plastic contamination in foods and potential risk to human health

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about micro- and nanoplastic contamination in food, covering sources, occurrence, and analytical detection methods. Researchers found that while various foods, especially seafood, contain measurable levels of microplastics, the health risks to humans remain difficult to assess due to inconsistent research methods. The study calls for standardized approaches to better evaluate dietary exposure and potential health impacts.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Nanoplastics on Marine Life: A Review

This review summarizes current knowledge about the effects of nanoplastics on marine organisms, including impacts on feeding, reproduction, growth, and cellular-level toxicity. Evidence indicates that nanoplastics can be more harmful than larger microplastics due to their ability to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues, though more research is needed on real-world exposure levels.

2023 Nature Environment and Pollution Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinctive impact of polystyrene nano-spherules as an emergent pollutant toward the environment

Researchers assessed polystyrene nanosphere toxicity to marine crustaceans and human blood cells, finding significant aggregation in seawater, lethal concentrations for brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and lymphocytes at microgram-per-milliliter levels, and evidence of genotoxicity and oxidative stress damage, establishing these particles as an emerging environmental and health hazard.

2018 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of In Vitro Genotoxicity of Polystyrene Nanoparticles in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Researchers evaluated the genotoxic potential of polystyrene nanoparticles in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, finding evidence of DNA damage that raises concerns about the health effects of nanoplastic exposure in humans.

2023 Toxics 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and pathways of microplastics, quantification protocol and adverseeffects of microplastics towards freshwater and seawater biota

This review examines the occurrence, pathways, and adverse effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine organisms, highlighting how these particles can enter the food chain through seafood consumption. The study suggests that microplastic ingestion causes health hazards in aquatic animals and points to gaps in understanding how microplastics affect human health along the food supply chain.

2023 Food Research 11 citations