Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

Transport of persistent organic pollutants: Another effect of microplastic pollution?

This review examines how microplastics act as vectors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in aquatic environments, covering the physical and chemical factors governing pollutant adsorption and desorption. The authors discuss how interactions between microplastics and POPs vary with polymer type, particle properties, and environmental conditions, and when these interactions may result in toxic effects on aquatic organisms.

2022 Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress on environmental occurrence of microplastics and their interaction mechanism with organic pollutants

This review summarizes how microplastics in the environment interact with organic pollutants—adsorbing, carrying, and releasing them. Microplastics act as mobile carriers for persistent organic chemicals, altering their distribution and toxicity in ecosystems and the organisms, including humans, that consume them.

2021 Scientia Sinica Chimica 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption and Desorption Behaviour of Polychlorinated Biphenyls onto Microplastics’ Surfaces in Water/Sediment Systems

Researchers evaluated the adsorption and desorption behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) onto polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics of varying sizes in marine water/sediment systems. Results showed that polymer type and particle size influenced PCB binding capacity, with microplastics acting as potential vectors for transferring persistent organic pollutants to marine biota through the food chain.

2020 Toxics 86 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors of organic pollutants in aquatic environment: A review on mechanisms, numerical models, and influencing factors

This review examines how microplastics act as carriers for organic pollutants in water, adsorbing chemicals like pesticides and pharmaceuticals onto their surfaces and transporting them through aquatic environments. Researchers analyzed the mechanisms behind this process, including hydrophobic interactions and surface adsorption, along with the mathematical models used to predict pollutant uptake. The study highlights that microplastics may amplify the environmental impact of other contaminants by concentrating and redistributing them.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 64 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review of microplastics in the environment: Sampling, separation, characterization and coexistence mechanisms with pollutants

Massive microplastic pollution was documented across Africa, Asia, India, South Africa, North America, and Europe, with MPs acting as carriers of heavy metals that enter organisms and cause harm. The adsorption capacity of organic pollutants onto microplastics correlated with hydrophobicity, surface area, and functional group characteristics.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Removed Due to Policy Violations

This paper discusses how microplastics released into the sea environment accumulate organic pollutants and increase their concentration relative to the surrounding water, amplifying exposure risks for marine life. The review highlights microplastics as vectors that concentrate and transport toxic chemicals through marine food webs.

2023
Article Tier 2

The Dual Role of Microplastics in Marine Environment: Sink and Vectors of Pollutants

This review examines the dual role of microplastics in the marine environment as both accumulators of persistent organic pollutants and vectors that transport these chemicals and other contaminants including heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens. The study highlights how microplastics can concentrate toxic substances from seawater and then release them when ingested by marine organisms, creating additional exposure pathways.

2021 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 60 citations
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

Effects of Microplastic Pollution on Marine Environment: a Mini Review

This review examines the formation, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in marine environments, highlighting how their high adsorption capacity enables them to concentrate persistent organic pollutants and how long-term tissue accumulation poses risks to marine organisms and human health.

2023 Journal of Zoology and Systematics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as sorption materials of herbicides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a coastal bay

Researchers analyzed microplastics collected from the Bay of Brest in France and found that the particles had absorbed herbicides, persistent organic pollutants, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from surrounding waters. The type and amount of chemicals adsorbed varied depending on the plastic polymer and the environmental conditions. The study confirms that microplastics in coastal environments act as carriers for other harmful pollutants, potentially spreading contamination through marine food webs.

2025 Regional Studies in Marine Science 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Organic Pollutants Associated with Plastic Debris in Marine Environment: A Systematic Review of Analytical Methods, Occurrence, and Characteristics

This systematic review summarizes research on organic pollutants that attach to plastic debris in marine environments. The findings are concerning for human health because microplastics in the ocean can absorb and carry toxic chemicals like pesticides and flame retardants, and when marine life ingests these contaminated particles, the pollutants can move up the food chain to our seafood.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of organic pollutants by microplastics: Overview of a dissonant literature

This review critically examines the scientific literature on how microplastics adsorb organic pollutants in aquatic environments. Researchers found significant inconsistencies across studies regarding the mechanisms and extent of pollutant uptake by microplastics, noting that factors like particle size, polymer type, and environmental conditions all play important roles. The study calls for more standardized research methods to better understand whether microplastics meaningfully increase human and wildlife exposure to these co-pollutants.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behaviour and interaction of organic micropollutants with nano and microplastics – A review

This review analyzed the adsorption behavior of organic micropollutants — including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals — onto nano- and microplastics, finding that adsorption is governed by pollutant hydrophobicity, particle surface area, and aging state, and that microplastics can act as vectors delivering co-contaminants to aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 216 citations
Article Tier 2

Enrichment of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Microplastics from Coastal Waters

Researchers quantified how microplastics concentrate persistent organic pollutants compared to suspended particulate matter in coastal seawater. They found that the concentrating effect of microplastics on these pollutants was one to two orders of magnitude greater than that of natural suspended particles. The study provides precise measurements of enrichment factors, suggesting that microplastics may serve as significant carriers of toxic organic chemicals in marine environments.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in the marine environment: A state-of-the-science review

This state-of-the-science review examined whether microplastics serve as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in marine organisms. The study found that while microplastics can carry high concentrations of sorbed chemicals, their relative importance as an exposure route compared to other pathways like water and food remains an active area of research with varying conclusions depending on environmental conditions.

2016 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 476 citations
Review Tier 2

Interactions of Microplastics with Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Ecotoxicological Effects: A Review

This review examines how microplastics interact with persistent organic pollutants in the environment, including how factors like salinity, pH, and plastic type affect the sorption of toxic chemicals onto microplastic surfaces. The study suggests that when organisms ingest microplastics loaded with these pollutants, the chemicals can be released inside the body, posing combined ecotoxicological risks.

2021 Tropical Aquatic and Soil Pollution 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Pollutants on Microplastics in Freshwater

This book chapter examines adsorption of co-contaminants—including heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals—onto microplastic surfaces in freshwater environments, reviewing how plastic particle characteristics determine their capacity to concentrate and transport associated pollutants.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in coastal and oceanic surface waters and their role as carriers of pollutants of emerging concern in marine organisms

Researchers analyzed 167 studies on microplastics in ocean surface waters and marine organisms, finding that fragments and fibers are the most common particle types across all regions studied. The review highlights that microplastics act as carriers for other harmful pollutants, increasing the chemical burden on marine life. The uneven global distribution of research means that microplastic contamination in many ocean regions remains poorly understood.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of representative organic contaminants on microplastics: Effects of chemical physicochemical properties, particle size, and biofilm presence

This study examined how organic pollutants like flame retardants and industrial chemicals attach to microplastics in saltwater conditions. Smaller microplastic particles absorbed more contaminants per unit weight, and natural biofilms growing on the plastic surfaces changed how much pollution they could carry. The findings help explain how microplastics act as carriers of toxic chemicals through the environment and potentially into the food chain.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 69 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastic pollution on ecological environment: a review

This review examines the broad ecological impact of microplastic pollution, focusing on how the strong adsorption capacity of microplastic surfaces allows them to carry persistent organic pollutants through the environment. Researchers found that the combined effects of microplastics and adsorbed chemicals increase toxicity to organisms across different levels of the food chain. The study calls for more research into the long-term ecological consequences of microplastic pollution and its synergistic effects with other contaminants.

2022 Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Mikroplastika Kao Adsorbens Opasnih Materija

This paper reviews how microplastics act as effective adsorbents for toxic substances including persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals in freshwater, marine, and urban environments. The ability of microplastics to concentrate and transport hazardous chemicals amplifies their potential harm to ecosystems and human health.

2021 Zbornik radova Građevinskog fakulteta
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-sorbed persistent organic pollutants in coastal Mediterranean Sea areas of Tunisia

Researchers analyzed microplastics collected from four Tunisian Mediterranean beaches, finding they contained sorbed persistent organic pollutants including polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides, highlighting microplastics as vectors for toxic chemicals.

2023 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 13 citations