Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanisms of Sorption of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products to Microplastics

This thesis investigated how pharmaceutical and personal care product chemicals sorb onto high-density polyethylene microplastic fragments, and how this affects the combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. Microplastics can carry drug compounds and personal care chemicals from wastewater into aquatic environments, concentrating pollutant exposure for marine organisms.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic sorption of personal care products in aquatic environments: mechanisms and key factors

This review of existing research shows that tiny plastic particles in water can absorb and carry chemicals from personal care products like sunscreen, soap, and cosmetics. When microplastics pick up these chemicals, they could potentially transport them to new places in the environment and possibly into our food chain. This matters because it suggests microplastics might be spreading personal care chemicals in ways we don't fully understand yet.

2026 Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Sorption and dissipation of current-use pesticides and personal-care products on high-density polyethylene microplastics in seawater

Researchers characterized how three pesticides and three personal care products sorb onto high-density polyethylene microplastics in seawater. They found that more hydrophobic compounds accumulated more readily on the plastic, and that significant desorption (over 30%) occurred within 24 hours, especially at higher contaminant concentrations. The study confirms that microplastics can act as both carriers and releasers of chemical pollutants in marine environments.

2025 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods of analysing chemicals associated with microplastics: a review

This review surveys analytical methods used to identify and quantify chemicals associated with marine microplastics, covering extraction techniques, spectroscopic approaches, and the challenges of characterizing the complex mixture of polymer additives and adsorbed contaminants.

2017 Analytical Methods 111 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-mechanistic adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on oxidized microplastics: Oxidation processes, mechanisms, and environmental implications

Researchers reviewed how weathering and oxidation change microplastic surfaces, making them better at absorbing pharmaceuticals and personal care product chemicals from water. The modified surfaces attract these contaminants through multiple chemical forces, meaning aged microplastics in the environment act as enhanced carriers for drug and cosmetic pollutants.

2025 Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
Article Tier 2

Surface functional groups determine adsorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on polypropylene microplastics

Researchers found that surface functional groups on aged polypropylene microplastics determined their adsorption capacity for pharmaceuticals and personal care products, with aged plastic showing much higher pollutant uptake than fresh plastic due to weathering-induced surface changes.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and interaction mechanism of microplastics with typical hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products

This study examined how different types of microplastics adsorb hydrophilic pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments, finding that polymer type and surface properties governed the interaction mechanisms. The results indicate that microplastics can act as vectors for these emerging contaminants.

2023 Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between microplastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products: Implications for vector transport

This review examines how microplastics can absorb pharmaceuticals and personal care products (like medications, sunscreen, and antibacterials) onto their surfaces in the environment. Environmental factors like water acidity, salt levels, and organic matter all affect how strongly these chemicals bind to plastic surfaces. When organisms ingest microplastics carrying these absorbed chemicals, the combined exposure could pose greater health risks than either the plastics or chemicals alone.

2021 Environment International 520 citations
Article Tier 2

UV filters and UV stabilisers adsorbed in microplastic debris from beach sand

Researchers detected UV filters and UV stabilizers adsorbed onto microplastic debris collected from beach sand, demonstrating that personal care product contaminants partition onto plastic particles and may be transported and concentrated in marine environments.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 43 citations
Review Tier 2

The chemical behaviors of microplastics in marine environment: A review

This review summarized interactions between microplastics and organic pollutants and metals in the marine environment, covering sorption behavior across polymer types, the role of degradation in altering sorption capacity, and global monitoring data on pollutant concentrations on marine plastics. The authors conclude that microplastic type, pollutant properties, and environmental conditions all strongly influence chemical accumulation on plastic surfaces.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 654 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into emerging organic pollutants extraction from polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene microplastics

Researchers developed and validated an analytical method for extracting and measuring emerging organic pollutants absorbed onto microplastics, simultaneously accounting for particle size, weathering state, and environmental matrix effects for the first time. The method worked well across multiple polymer types and real environmental samples, providing a more reliable tool for assessing the chemical contamination hitchhiking on microplastics in the environment.

2023 Analytica Chimica Acta 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Partitioning of chemical contaminants to microplastics: Sorption mechanisms, environmental distribution and effects on toxicity and bioaccumulation

This review critically examines how chemical contaminants like persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals sorb onto microplastic surfaces in the environment. Researchers found that while microplastics can concentrate pollutants at levels far above surrounding water, the actual contribution of microplastics to contaminant transfer into organisms may be less significant than direct exposure from water and food. The study calls for more realistic experimental designs to clarify the true risk.

2019 Environmental Pollution 487 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterisation, quantity and sorptive properties of microplastics extracted from cosmetics

Researchers extracted microplastics from a specific environmental matrix and characterized their properties — including size, shape, polymer type, and sorption capacity — providing insights into the physical and chemical behavior of environmentally weathered particles.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 935 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption and desorption of organic UV filters onto microplastics in single and multi-solute systems

This study examined how organic UV filters (common sunscreen ingredients) sorb onto microplastics in both single-solute and multi-solute systems, finding that competitive sorption occurs when multiple contaminants are present. The results indicate that sunscreen chemicals can hitchhike on microplastics in marine environments, potentially altering their environmental fate and biological effects.

2019 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Unravelling the complex interactions between microplastics and PPCPs: The environment and health implications

This review examines how microplastics interact with pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), finding that the large hydrophobic surface area of microplastics enhances PPCP adsorption, increasing their persistence, bioavailability, and potential for biomagnification through food webs.

2025 International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)
Article Tier 2

An assessment of the concentration of pharmaceuticals adsorbed on microplastics

This study developed and validated an analytical method to measure pharmaceutical compounds adsorbed onto microplastic particles in marine water samples. Microplastics can concentrate pharmaceuticals from water and carry them through marine food chains, potentially delivering drug compounds to fish and other organisms at elevated concentrations.

2020 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Organic pollutants adsorbed on microplastics: Potential indicators for source appointment of microplastics

Researchers investigated whether the organic pollutants stuck to the surface of microplastics could help trace where those microplastics originally came from. They analyzed pollutant profiles on microplastics from different environments and found distinct chemical signatures tied to specific pollution sources. The study suggests that examining adsorbed chemicals on microplastics could serve as a practical tool for identifying and controlling microplastic emissions.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Simultaneous determination of persistent and emerging organic pollutants in microplastics

Researchers developed and validated a new analytical method to simultaneously detect 45 persistent and emerging organic pollutants sorbed onto microplastics. The method was tested on several polymer types including polypropylene and polyethylene, both pristine and weathered, using solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The study provides a practical tool for assessing the chemical contamination that microplastics can carry and transport through the environment.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging pollutants sorbed on beach microplastics. Evaluation in the coast of gran canaria (spain)

Researchers evaluated the sorption of emerging pollutants including steroid hormones and UV filters onto beach microplastics collected from Gran Canaria, Spain, examining how microplastics act as vectors for endocrine-disrupting compounds and personal care product ingredients in coastal environments. The study found measurable accumulation of these contaminants on beach microplastics, demonstrating a combined pollution risk from plastic particles and their sorbed chemical cargo.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Review Tier 2

Microplastic-Toxic Chemical Interaction: A Review Study on Quantified Levels, Mechanism and Implication

This review summarizes quantified levels of heavy metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants sorbed onto microplastics in environmental media, examining adsorption and desorption mechanisms and discussing health implications of ingested microplastics acting as vectors for toxic chemical transport.

2019 Preprints.org 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for the transfer of hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life

Researchers assessed the relative importance of microplastics as a pathway for transferring hydrophobic organic chemicals to marine life. The study suggests that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of contaminants, factors like gut surfactants, pH, and temperature influence desorption rates, and modeling indicates other exposure routes may be more significant in natural environments.

2016 Environmental Pollution 410 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and organic contaminants: Investigation of the sorption process on different polymer types

Researchers investigated sorption of organic contaminants onto microplastics collected from environmental samples, finding that real-world MPs had different sorption capacities than laboratory-prepared particles due to surface aging, biofouling, and co-sorption of natural organic matter.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics via experimental, simulation, and prediction methods

This review systematically examined experimental, simulation, and predictive modeling approaches for studying the adsorption of organic compounds onto microplastics, synthesizing findings on how molecular interactions, environmental conditions, and plastic aging affect microplastic vector behavior for organic pollutants.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of alkylphenols and estrogens on microplastics in marine conditions

Researchers investigated the sorption of six endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including alkylphenols and estrogens — onto microplastics under marine conditions, supporting the hypothesis that microplastics act as a secondary contamination vector for aquatic organisms by concentrating pollutants.

2023 Open Chemistry 8 citations