Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A tale of two emerging contaminants: Interfacial interactions, co-transport behaviors and ecotoxicological implications between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances and micro(nano)plastics.

This review examined how PFAS and micro/nanoplastics co-occur in the environment, form interfacial adsorption complexes, and interact synergistically within organisms. The authors found that the two contaminant classes amplify each other's toxicity in co-exposure scenarios and that their shared transport pathways complicate standard risk assessment.

2026 Advances in colloid and interface science
Article Tier 2

Interaction and combined toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic environment

This review examines how microplastics interact with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environments and the combined toxic effects on organisms. Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb PFAS chemicals and transport them through water systems, potentially increasing exposure for aquatic life. The study highlights that the combination of these two widespread pollutant types may pose greater ecological risks than either one alone.

2022 Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as carriers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aquatic environment: interactions and ecotoxicological effects

Researchers reviewed how microplastics serve as carriers for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes called forever chemicals, in aquatic environments. The study found that PFAS can attach to microplastic surfaces and accumulate in organisms through the food chain, potentially amplifying the toxic effects of both pollutants. The findings suggest that the combined presence of microplastics and PFAS poses a greater environmental and health risk than either pollutant alone.

2023 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 49 citations
Article Tier 2

From co-occurrence to co-existence and co-exposure: Associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and microplastics in the environment

This review examines the growing recognition that PFAS chemicals and microplastics frequently co-occur in the environment and may interact in ways that affect both ecological and human health. Researchers identified four major sources that emit both pollutants simultaneously and found strong evidence that PFAS can adsorb onto microplastic surfaces and be co-transported through the environment. The study calls for standardized methods and long-term studies to better understand the combined exposure risks of these two widespread contaminant classes.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined Environmental Impacts and Toxicological Interactions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Microplastics (MPs)

This review examines how microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) frequently co-occur in the environment and interact to alter each other's environmental fate and biological effects. Researchers found that co-exposure can enhance PFAS bioaccumulation by up to 2.5-fold compared to PFAS alone, accompanied by amplified oxidative stress, immune disruption, and reproductive impairment in aquatic organisms. The magnitude and direction of combined effects depend heavily on polymer type, particle size, surface aging, and biological context.

2026 Environments
Article Tier 2

Interactions between MPs and PFASs in aquatic environments: A dual-character situation

This review examines the interactions between microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water environments, finding that the two pollutants have a complex relationship. Microplastics can absorb PFAS chemicals onto their surfaces, potentially transporting them through aquatic systems and altering their environmental behavior. The study highlights the need to consider these combined effects when assessing pollution risks in waterways.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 26 citations
Review Tier 2

Interaction of microplastics with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water: A review of the fate, mechanisms and toxicity

This review examines how microplastics act as carriers for PFAS ("forever chemicals") in water, with the two pollutants interacting through various chemical mechanisms that affect their movement through the environment. The combined presence of microplastics and PFAS raises concerns about increased toxicity, since microplastics can transport these persistent chemicals into organisms and potentially concentrate their harmful effects.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 50 citations
Article Tier 2

The unheeded inherent connections and overlap between microplastics and poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances: A comprehensive review

This review reveals the overlooked connection between microplastics and PFAS (forever chemicals), showing that these two widespread pollutants often come from the same products and interact in the environment. Microplastics can absorb PFAS onto their surfaces and transport them through water systems, potentially increasing exposure for aquatic organisms and humans. Understanding this overlap is important because the combined effects may be more harmful than either pollutant alone.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 45 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A review on per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in microplastic and food-contact materials

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) used as oil- and water-repellent coatings on food contact materials can migrate into food, and microplastics in aquatic environments can sorb and transport PFAS, though desorption processes remain poorly understood.

2021 Environmental Research 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Co-existence of Microplastics and Perfluorochemicals: A Review of Their Interactions

This review examines how microplastics and perfluorochemicals, two widespread pollutant classes, interact when they coexist in the environment. Researchers found that microplastics can adsorb perfluorochemicals onto their surfaces, potentially altering how both pollutants move through ecosystems and affect organisms. The study highlights that the combined presence of these contaminants may pose greater environmental risks than either one alone.

2023 Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 15 citations
Article Tier 2

The Microplastic–PFAS Nexus: From Co-Occurrence to Combined Toxicity in Aquatic Environments

This review examines the interconnected environmental behavior of microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals"), showing that microplastics can act as carriers, concentrators, and secondary sources of PFAS contamination. Researchers found that co-exposure to both pollutants often produces synergistic toxic effects in aquatic organisms, disrupting processes from photosynthesis to neurological development. The study argues that current regulations assessing these pollutants individually are inadequate and must evolve to address their combined effects.

2025 Toxics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

PFAS Associated with Microplastics (MPs)

This review examined the environmental and health risks of the 'forever alliance' between PFAS and microplastics, where PFAS adsorb onto MP surfaces, increasing their environmental mobility, bioavailability, and combined toxicity. The interaction amplifies the hazards of both contaminant classes and complicates risk assessment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Co-accumulation characteristics and interaction mechanism of microplastics and PFASs in a large shallow lake

Researchers examined how microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals, accumulate together in Taihu Lake, China. They found that microplastics can adsorb and concentrate these persistent chemicals on their surfaces, with the interaction strength depending on plastic type and environmental conditions. The study raises concerns that microplastics may act as carriers that spread forever chemicals through freshwater ecosystems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Unraveling the complexities of microplastics and PFAS synergy to foster sustainable environmental remediation and ecosystem protection: A critical review with novel insights

This review examines how microplastics and PFAS (sometimes called 'forever chemicals') interact in the environment, since both often come from the same everyday products. The authors found that microplastics can carry PFAS on their surface, and when organisms are exposed to both together, the combined toxic effects including oxidative stress and reproductive harm can be worse than either pollutant alone.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactive effects of micro/nanoplastics and nanomaterials/pharmaceuticals: Their ecotoxicological consequences in the aquatic systems

Researchers reviewed how micro- and nanoplastics interact with co-occurring nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments, finding that plastics act as vectors that can either amplify or attenuate the bioavailability and toxicity of these contaminants depending on species, trophic level, and environmental conditions.

2021 Aquatic Toxicology 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro-Nano Plastics in Aquatic Environments: Associated Health Impacts and Mitigation Strategies

This review examines how micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments are biologically transferred up the food chain, covering the factors that influence particle bioavailability, accumulation in organisms, and trophic transfer — with implications for both aquatic ecosystem health and human dietary exposure.

2025
Article Tier 2

Analysis and fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the global aquatic environment: perspectives and combined risks with microplastics

This review provided a comprehensive overview of PFAS fate, transport, and toxicity in global aquatic environments, with particular attention to analytical challenges for ultrashort-chain compounds. The authors also addressed combined risks from PFAS and microplastics co-occurring in water, noting synergistic contamination concerns.

2025 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
Article Tier 2

Uptake and release of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) from macro and microplastics

Researchers studied how perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, a class of persistent PFAS chemicals, interact with both macro and microplastics in aquatic environments. They found that microplastics can adsorb and later release these harmful chemicals, with the interaction influenced by the amphiphilic properties of the contaminants. The findings suggest that microplastics may serve as carriers for PFAS contamination, potentially increasing exposure pathways for organisms in the environment.

2023 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) on the marine environment: Raising awareness, challenges, legislation, and mitigation approaches under the One Health concept

This review examines how PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), often called 'forever chemicals,' are contaminating marine environments and interacting with other pollutants including microplastics. PFAS accumulate in marine food chains and can combine with microplastics to amplify toxic effects on ocean wildlife and ultimately human health through seafood consumption. The authors call for stronger regulations and cleanup strategies under a One Health approach that connects ocean, animal, and human well-being.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Toxicity of microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sentinel freshwater models, Daphnia, Zebrafish and unicellular green algae: A systemic review

Researchers reviewed 68 studies on how microplastics and PFAS ("forever chemicals") affect freshwater organisms like Daphnia, zebrafish, and algae, finding that both contaminants are more toxic at chronic low doses than in short-term exposures, and that combining them tends to amplify harm — while noting almost no research has studied them together.

2025 Environmental Pollution and Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an adsorption and transport medium for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic systems: Polystyrene and undecafluorohexanoic acid interactions

Researchers investigated interactions between polystyrene microplastics and the PFAS compound undecafluorohexanoic acid in aquatic systems, finding that microplastics can serve as adsorption and transport media for PFAS, with implications for their combined environmental impact.

2023 Journal of Molecular Liquids 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Interactions with PFAS and Co-transport in the Soil

This chapter reviewed the interactions between microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil, examining how these two persistent pollutants interact and co-transport through soil profiles. Their combined presence can amplify environmental risks by facilitating PFAS mobility and bioavailability beyond what either contaminant achieves independently.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as vectors for environmental contaminants in the food chain: Assessing the combined toxicological effects and bioavailability

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics act as carriers for environmental pollutants including heavy metals, organic chemicals, and microbial agents as they move through food chains. Researchers detail how polymer type, particle size, and environmental conditions influence the binding and release of these contaminants. The study highlights that the combined toxicity of microplastics together with the pollutants they carry may be greater than either would cause alone.

2025 Toxicology Letters 3 citations