We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Exposures in Aquatic Ecosystems: The Weak Link in Risk Assessments - A Critical Perspective
ClearGaps in aquatic toxicological studies of microplastics
This paper identifies key gaps in aquatic toxicological studies of microplastics, arguing that most studies use unrealistic concentrations or particle types and calling for more ecologically relevant experimental designs to better assess real-world risks.
Microplastics in the aquatic environment—Perspectives on the scope of the problem
This perspectives paper reviews the scope of the microplastic problem in aquatic environments, assessing what is known about concentrations, sources, and potential effects on organisms and humans. The authors call for a more risk-based approach to prioritizing research and management responses.
Environmental risks of microplastics: A Review of their distribution and effects on aquatic ecosystems
This review examined how microplastics threaten aquatic ecosystems through direct physical and chemical stress on organisms and through synergistic interactions with co-contaminants that disrupt food webs. The authors identify key research gaps including realistic multi-stressor experiments and long-term ecosystem-level studies.
Occurrence, Bioaccumulation, and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in the Aquatic Environment: A Review
This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic occurrence, bioaccumulation, and health risks in aquatic environments worldwide. Microplastics can absorb other pollutants and transfer them through the food chain, accumulating in organisms at higher levels. The authors call for standardized risk assessment methods and better monitoring to understand the full scope of microplastic threats to ecosystems and human health.
Microplastics in aquatic food chain : sources, measurement, occurrence and potential health risks
This review examines the sources, measurement methods, occurrence, and potential health risks of microplastics throughout aquatic food chains, finding that while microplastics are ubiquitous in fish, shellfish, and other aquatic food sources, the data needed for a comprehensive human dietary exposure and risk assessment are not yet available. Researchers identify standardization of detection methods as a critical prerequisite for meaningful risk evaluation.
Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?
This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.
Micro/nanoplastics effects on organisms: A review focusing on ‘dose’
This critical review examined published dose-response data for microplastic effects on organisms, finding that the vast majority of studies used concentrations far exceeding measured environmental levels and calling for greater focus on realistic exposure scenarios to produce ecologically meaningful hazard assessments.
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.
Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Critical Review of Sources, Transport Mechanisms and Ecotoxicological Risks
This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution in rivers, oceans, and other aquatic environments, covering where these particles come from, how they move through water systems, and the harm they can cause. Evidence indicates that microplastics accumulate toxins and disrupt growth, feeding, and reproduction in aquatic species, with potential consequences for human health through seafood and drinking water. The authors stress the need for better global monitoring, stronger waste management systems, and development of eco-friendly plastic alternatives.
Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastic particles
Researchers developed a framework for assessing the ecological risk of microplastic particles, incorporating particle characteristics, environmental concentrations, and species sensitivity data. The assessment identified conditions under which current environmental microplastic levels pose significant risk to aquatic organisms.
Plastic debris exposure and effects in rivers: Boundaries for efficient ecological risk assessment
This discussion paper identifies critical gaps in freshwater plastic ecological risk assessment, arguing that boundaries around exposure metrics, ecological endpoints, and field relevance remain poorly defined. The authors propose a framework for more reliable risk assessment in riverine systems, where plastic pollution research lags behind marine studies.
Microplastics as a vehicle of exposure to chemical contamination in freshwater systems: Current research status and way forward
This review assessed the current state of research on microplastics as vectors for chemical contaminants in freshwater systems, evaluating evidence for and against the vector hypothesis and identifying the most important knowledge gaps, including the need for studies at environmentally realistic concentrations.
Micro/nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems: Analytical challenges, ecological impacts, and mitigation strategies
This review provides a comprehensive assessment of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, covering detection methods, toxic effects across the food chain, and emerging cleanup strategies. Researchers highlight the limitations of current analytical techniques and the challenges of accurately measuring these tiny particles in water and living organisms. The study identifies key research priorities needed to better understand and mitigate the growing threat of plastic particle pollution in waterways.
Nanoplastics: Detection and impacts in aquatic environments – A review
This review examined nanoplastic detection methods and their impacts in aquatic environments, concluding that current analytical capabilities severely underestimate nanoplastic exposure levels due to the difficulty of detecting sub-micron particles. The authors called for standardized nanoplastic detection protocols to enable meaningful risk assessment.
Microplastics in aquatic environments: Occurrence, accumulation, and biological effects
This review compiled evidence on microplastic occurrence, accumulation, and biological effects in global aquatic environments, covering uptake by organisms across trophic levels and the role of microplastics as vectors for persistent organic pollutants. The authors highlight concentration-dependent toxicity and the need for ecologically relevant exposure scenarios in laboratory studies.
Nanoplastics in the Aquatic Environment. Critical Review
This critical review synthesized the emerging science on nanoplastics in aquatic environments, covering detection challenges, sources, behavior, and toxicological evidence, and identifying major gaps in knowledge about nanoplastic-specific risks.
Toxicological review of micro- and nano-plastics in aquatic environments: Risks to ecosystems, food web dynamics and human health.
This review synthesized evidence on the toxicological effects of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems, covering risks to individual organisms, disruptions to food web dynamics, and pathways through which plastic exposure poses risks to human health via seafood consumption.
A review of microplastics in the aquatic environmental: distribution, transport, ecotoxicology, and toxicological mechanisms
This review examines how microplastics are distributed, transported, and accumulate throughout aquatic environments, and the toxicological effects they have on aquatic organisms. The study suggests that microplastics can affect human health through the food chain, but notes that understanding of combined toxicity mechanisms remains very limited. The authors identify significant knowledge gaps and call for more systematic environmental risk assessments across multiple species.
Toxicity Mechanism, Exposure Pathways, and Environmental Risk Assessment of Microplastic Pollution
This book chapter reviews the toxicity mechanisms and exposure pathways of microplastics in aquatic environments, examining how MPs cause harm through physical ingestion, chemical leaching, and facilitation of co-contaminant transport, and discussing frameworks for environmental risk assessment.
Challenges and recommendations in experimentation and risk assessment of nanoplastics in aquatic organisms
This review identifies key methodological weaknesses in laboratory studies of nanoplastics in aquatic organisms — including inadequate controls, unrealistic exposure concentrations, and poor detection methods — that undermine risk assessment reliability. The authors call for a standardized quality criteria framework to make nanoplastic research more rigorous and environmentally relevant. Since nanoplastics are the least-understood size fraction of plastic pollution, improving study design is essential before regulators can set safe exposure limits.