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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Contaminant release from aged microplastic
ClearComplex release dynamics of microplastic additives: An interplay of additive degradation and microplastic aging
This study investigated how microplastics release their chemical additives -- including phthalates, bisphenol A, and flame retardants -- into water, especially under UV sunlight. The process is more complicated than simple leaching: sunlight both breaks down the additives and ages the plastic itself, which changes how fast chemicals are released. These findings matter because the toxic additives that leach from microplastics may pose a greater health risk than the plastic particles themselves.
Elucidating the characteristic of leachates released from microplastics under different aging conditions: Perspectives of dissolved organic carbon fingerprints and nano-plastics
Researchers investigated how different aging conditions affect the release of dissolved organic carbon and nanoplastics from PVC and polystyrene microplastics over 130 days. The study found that UV aging and high temperatures promoted the release of nanoplastics and altered the chemical characteristics of leached substances, with UV-aged treatments producing smaller, rougher nanoparticles that may pose greater ecological risks.
Leaching behavior and toxic effect of plastic additives as influenced by aging process of microplastics
This review examined how environmental aging processes affect the leaching behavior and toxicity of plastic additives from microplastics. Researchers found that UV exposure, weathering, and biological degradation alter the physicochemical properties of microplastics, increasing the release of harmful chemical additives and potentially amplifying their toxic effects on organisms in the environment.
Effects of aging on environmental behavior of plastic additives: Migration, leaching, and ecotoxicity
This review examines how the aging and weathering of microplastics in the environment causes chemical additives like plasticizers, flame retardants, and antioxidants to leach out. As microplastics age through UV exposure, heat, and biological activity, they release these additives more readily, increasing the toxic risk to organisms. The findings are important because they show that older, weathered microplastics found in the real world may be more chemically hazardous than fresh plastics used in most lab studies.
UV-Irradiation Facilitating Pb Release from Recycled PVC Microplastics
Researchers found that UV light exposure causes microplastics made from recycled PVC to release lead (Pb), a toxic heavy metal used as a stabilizer in older PVC formulations. This shows that environmental weathering of plastic pollution can release hazardous chemical additives into water and soil.
Effects of chemical and natural ageing on the release of potentially toxic metal additives in commercial PVC microplastics
Researchers aged commercial PVC microplastics under chemical and natural weathering conditions and measured release of potentially toxic trace metals added as stabilizers, finding that weathering significantly increased metal leaching rates, with cadmium and lead among the metals released.
Photoaging process and mechanism of four commonly commercial microplastics
Researchers exposed four common commercial microplastic types to UV light to simulate photoaging on soil surfaces and studied changes in their properties and chemical leachates. The study found that PVC and polystyrene underwent more dramatic physical and chemical changes than polypropylene and polyethylene, with aging creating cracks that facilitated the release of dissolved organic matter and chemical additives. These findings suggest that aged microplastics may pose greater environmental risks to soil and groundwater than pristine ones due to increased leaching of complex organic compounds.
Recent advances on microplastic aging: Identification, mechanism, influence factors, and additives release
This review found that environmental aging transforms microplastic surface properties through abrasion, chemical oxidation, UV irradiation, and biodegradation, altering their environmental behavior and ecological risk. Aging also triggers the release of toxic plastic additives, but significant gaps remain between laboratory aging simulations and real-world conditions.
UV weathering alters toxicity and chemical composition of consumer plastic leachates
Researchers examined how UV weathering changes the toxicity and chemical makeup of leachates from eight types of consumer plastic products. They found that UV exposure increased cytotoxicity up to 13-fold, particularly for polyethylene leachates, and enhanced reactive toxicity by up to 82%. The increased toxicity was primarily linked to the release and transformation of organic chemicals rather than the microplastic particles themselves, highlighting UV weathering as a critical driver of plastic pollution hazards.
Review of the artificially-accelerated aging technology and ecological risk of microplastics
This review examines laboratory methods used to artificially age microplastics to simulate long-term environmental weathering, including UV light, chemical oxidation, heat, and radiation treatments. Researchers found that aging generally increases the environmental risks of microplastics by making them easier for organisms to ingest, enhancing their ability to interact with other pollutants, and triggering the release of chemical additives. The study calls for more realistic aging methods that better simulate the complex conditions microplastics face in natural environments.
Screening the release of chemicals and microplastic particles from diverse plastic consumer products into water under accelerated UV weathering conditions
Researchers exposed eight common plastic consumer products to UV light simulating eight months of weathering and found they released both microplastic particles and hundreds of chemical compounds into water. The UV exposure significantly increased the release of toxic metals and organic chemicals compared to products kept in the dark. Many of the detected substances exceeded safety thresholds, suggesting that sun-degraded plastic products could pose meaningful health and environmental risks.
Synergistic interplay of weathered microplastics: Coupling sorption-leaching behavior and environmental risk implications
Researchers investigated how photo-weathering alters the properties of polystyrene and PVC microplastics, affecting their ability to adsorb heavy metals and leach chemical additives. They found that UVC irradiation caused more significant surface changes than xenon light, and weathering accelerated the leaching rate of the plasticizer DEHP from PVC by three times. A health risk assessment showed that weathered microplastics posed roughly double the health risk of virgin microplastics.
Accelerated photoaging of microplastic - polyethylene terephthalate: physical, chemical, morphological properties and pesticide adsorption
Researchers subjected polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics to accelerated photoaging under simulated sunlight, characterizing changes in surface chemistry, crystallinity, and mechanical properties over time. Photoaging increased surface oxidation, reduced molecular weight, and enhanced the release of plastic additives, suggesting aged PET microplastics present greater chemical hazard than pristine particles.
A comprehensive review of microplastic aging: Laboratory simulations, physicochemical properties, adsorption mechanisms, and environmental impacts
This review examines how microplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and chemicals, becoming rougher and more chemically reactive over time. Aged microplastics absorb more pollutants than fresh ones and release harmful additives and free radicals, meaning the microplastics people encounter in the real world may be more dangerous than the pristine particles typically used in lab studies.
Aging of microplastics increases their adsorption affinity towards organic contaminants
Researchers found that microplastics that have been weathered by sunlight and environmental exposure absorb significantly more chemical pollutants than fresh microplastics, with up to a 4.7-fold increase in adsorption. Ultraviolet exposure changes the surface chemistry of the plastics, making them stickier for contaminants. This matters because most microplastics in nature are weathered, meaning they may be carrying more toxic chemicals into the food chain than laboratory studies using new plastics would suggest.
Mechanistic insights into non-negligible toxicity evolution of microplastics under different aging processes
This review examines how different environmental aging processes, such as UV exposure, mechanical wear, and chemical weathering, change the physical and chemical properties of microplastics and alter their toxicity. Researchers found that aged microplastics and the chemicals they leach tend to be more harmful to organisms than fresh particles, causing growth inhibition and genetic damage. The findings suggest that the environmental risks of microplastics may increase significantly as they degrade over time.
Releasing characteristics of toxic chemicals from polystyrene microplastics in the aqueous environment during photoaging process
This study revealed that as polystyrene microplastics age under UV light, they release a growing number of toxic chemicals including organic compounds and heavy metals into surrounding water. The rate of chemical release increased dramatically with aging time, meaning that weathered microplastics in the environment are more chemically hazardous than fresh ones, with implications for water quality and human exposure.
Accelerated aging of polyvinyl chloride microplastics by UV irradiation: Aging characteristics, filtrate analysis, and adsorption behavior
Researchers systematically investigated how UV irradiation ages polyvinyl chloride microplastics, characterizing changes in their physical and chemical properties and the organic matter they release. The study established quantitative relationships between the degree of aging and the capacity of microplastics to adsorb environmental pollutants like malachite green and sulfamethoxazole, providing a tool for predicting contaminant accumulation on weathered microplastics in natural environments.
Ecotoxicological assessment of microplastics in limnic systems with emphasis on chemicals released by weathering
This study examined both the physical and chemical toxicity of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems, with special focus on chemicals released when plastics are weathered by ultraviolet light. The research tested conventional and biodegradable plastics, addressing whether particle properties or leaching chemicals drive ecotoxicological effects.
Metal leaching accompanied with natural photo-aging behavior of e-waste plastic derived microplastics in aquatic environment
Researchers studied how microplastics derived from electronic waste release metals into water as they age under sunlight over 112 days. They found that the aging process significantly increased the leaching of harmful metals from these e-waste plastics. The findings highlight a previously underappreciated pathway by which electronic waste contributes to water pollution through the gradual release of toxic metal additives from degrading plastic particles.
Impact of accelerated weathering on the leaching kinetics of stabiliser additives from microplastics
Researchers studied how environmental weathering affects the release of chemical additives from microplastics and found that the results varied widely depending on the type of plastic and additive. Contrary to common assumptions, weathering did not always increase chemical leaching; in fact, it only significantly changed release rates for three out of nine formulations tested. This means the health risks from microplastic additives are more complex than previously thought, as different plastic types behave very differently in the environment.
The wheel of time: The environmental dance of aged micro- and nanoplastics and their biological resonance
This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics change as they age in the environment through exposure to sunlight, water, and biological activity. Aged plastics behave differently than fresh ones: they accumulate faster in ecosystems, are more easily taken up by organisms, and can release trapped chemicals as they break down. The findings suggest that the real-world health and environmental risks of microplastics may be greater than lab studies using new, unweathered plastics indicate.
Simulated experimental investigation of microplastic weathering in marine environment
Researchers simulated microplastic weathering under marine conditions, finding that exposure to UV light, saltwater, and mechanical abrasion progressively degraded plastic surfaces, increased surface roughness, and enhanced the adsorption capacity of contaminants onto microplastic particles.
Developing environmentally relevant test materials for microplastic research through UV-induced photoaging
Researchers used UV irradiation to create photoaged microplastics from multiple polymer types as environmentally relevant test materials for ecotoxicology research, characterizing how aging changes surface chemistry, particle size distribution, and potential biological effects.