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Nanoplastics
9,051 resultsMicroplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments: Aggregation, Deposition, and Enhanced Contaminant Transport
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This review examined the aggregation, deposition, and transport of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic environments, synthesizing how particle properties and water chemistry govern their fate and mobility in rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
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This paper highlights microplastics as an overlooked threat to terrestrial ecosystems, noting that most plastic pollution originates on land before reaching the oceans. Researchers discuss evidence that microplastics interact with soil organisms, fungi, and pollinators that provide essential ecosystem services. The study calls for urgent research into how microplastics affect land-based environments, which may be experiencing significant but understudied ecological impacts.
A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health
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This detailed review examines the potential health effects of microplastics and the chemical additives they contain, which can include plasticizers, flame retardants, and stabilizers. Researchers describe how humans are exposed to these hazardous chemicals through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact as microplastics break down in the environment. The study emphasizes that the combination of physical particle effects and chemical toxicity makes microplastics a uniquely complex health concern.
Current opinion: What is a nanoplastic?
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This opinion piece proposes a definition for nanoplastics — particles unintentionally produced from plastic degradation or manufacturing that exhibit colloidal behavior within the 1 to 1000 nm size range — aiming to resolve ongoing debate over terminology in the field.
Combined Effects of UV Exposure Duration and Mechanical Abrasion on Microplastic Fragmentation by Polymer Type
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Researchers studied how UV exposure duration and mechanical abrasion combine to fragment different plastic types under simulated beach conditions. They found that polypropylene was far more susceptible to fragmentation than polyethylene after UV weathering, while expanded polystyrene broke apart readily even without UV exposure. The experiments showed that a large fraction of fragmented particles were too small to recover, suggesting that significant amounts of nanoplastic are being generated on beaches.
An overview of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in agroecosystems
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This overview reviewed the current understanding of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in agroecosystems, examining how agricultural practices like mulching, irrigation, and sludge application introduce plastics into soils and food crops.
A Global Perspective on Microplastics
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This review provides a global overview of microplastic pollution, tracing its origins from land-based disposal, textile washing, tire wear, and at-sea losses to its distribution across ocean compartments. Researchers note that microplastic abundance increases as particle size decreases, expanding the range of organisms that can ingest them, with particles smaller than 20 micrometers potentially able to penetrate cell membranes. The study highlights that while evidence of harm is growing, more research is needed to draw definitive conclusions about health risks to humans and wildlife.
Potential Health Impact of Environmentally Released Micro- and Nanoplastics in the Human Food Production Chain: Experiences from Nanotoxicology
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This review assesses the potential for micro- and nanoplastics to enter the human food chain, drawing on evidence from studies of food production and related biological systems. Researchers found that while larger microplastics are unlikely to be absorbed by the human body, nanoplastics may be small enough to cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues. The study highlights that much remains unknown about real-world human exposure levels and calls for more research into the health implications of these tiny particles in food.
Emergence of Nanoplastic in the Environment and Possible Impact on Human Health
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This review examines how plastic materials fragment into nanoplastics and potentially accumulate in the environment, with a focus on their possible impacts on human health. Researchers discuss how these tiny particles can enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact, and describe how they interact with cells at the molecular level. The study highlights that nanoplastics behave very differently from larger plastics due to their size and surface properties, raising concerns that warrant further investigation.
Rethinking microplastics as a diverse contaminant suite
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Researchers argue that the term microplastics oversimplifies what is actually a hugely diverse class of contaminants varying in size, shape, polymer type, and chemical additives. Treating all microplastics as a single pollutant leads to studies and regulations that may miss critical differences in how various particles behave and affect organisms. The study calls for a more nuanced approach that treats microplastics as a contaminant suite, similar to how pesticides or pharmaceuticals are categorized.
Differentially charged nanoplastics demonstrate distinct accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana
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Researchers exposed Arabidopsis thaliana plants to positively and negatively charged polystyrene nanoplastics and found that charge determined accumulation patterns, with positively charged particles penetrating deeper into root and leaf tissues than negatively charged ones.
Nanoplastic Affects Growth ofS. obliquusand Reproduction ofD. magna
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Researchers tested the effects of nanoplastics on freshwater algae and tiny water fleas, two organisms at the base of aquatic food chains. They found that nano-polystyrene particles reduced algae growth through physical binding to cell surfaces and inhibited reproduction in water fleas at concentrations as low as 30 milligrams per liter. The study demonstrates that nanoplastics can harm freshwater organisms at multiple levels of the food web, even at relatively low concentrations.
Increased plastic pollution due to COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and recommendations
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This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased plastic pollution through the massive use of disposable personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. Researchers warn that this surge in single-use plastics will accelerate the generation of microplastics and nanoplastics in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The study emphasizes the need to balance public health measures with environmental safety and calls for a shift toward sustainable alternatives.
Plastic Teabags Release Billions of Microparticles and Nanoparticles into Tea
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Researchers discovered that steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a cup of tea. These particle levels are several orders of magnitude higher than those previously reported in other foods. Toxicity testing on water fleas showed that exposure to these released particles caused dose-dependent behavioral and developmental effects.
Characterisation of nanoplastics during the degradation of polystyrene
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Researchers used nanoparticle tracking analysis to characterize how polystyrene degrades into nanoplastic particles under controlled laboratory conditions. They found that UV exposure and mechanical stress produced vast quantities of nanoscale particles from disposable coffee cup lids, with concentrations increasing over time. The study provides direct evidence that everyday plastic items can break down into nanoplastics, raising concerns about an invisible layer of environmental contamination.
Turning microplastics into nanoplastics through digestive fragmentation by Antarctic krill
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Researchers fed Antarctic krill large microplastic particles and found the krill ground them into nanoplastics through digestive fragmentation, revealing that marine organisms can act as biological mechanisms for converting microplastics into potentially more hazardous nanoplastic-sized particles.
Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Ecosystem Services, Sustainable Development Goals, and Need to Focus on Circular Economy and Policy Interventions
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This review examines the impacts of plastic pollution on ecosystem services and sustainable development goals across terrestrial and aquatic environments. The study highlights that only about 9% of global plastic production is recycled, and recommends circular economy approaches, life cycle assessments, and stronger policy interventions to address the growing plastic waste crisis.
Chemical Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: Challenges, Advanced Methods, and Perspectives
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This review covers the latest laboratory methods for detecting and measuring microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental samples like water, food, and air. Identifying these tiny particles is extremely challenging because they vary enormously in size, shape, and plastic type, and concentrations can differ by billions of times between samples. Better standardized detection methods are essential for accurately understanding how much microplastic humans are actually exposed to.
Strong Sorption of PCBs to Nanoplastics, Microplastics, Carbon Nanotubes, and Fullerenes
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Researchers measured PCB sorption to nanoplastics, microplastics, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes, finding that nanoplastics sorbed PCBs strongly — with sorption coefficients comparable to carbon nanotubes — suggesting nanoplastics may be effective vectors for hydrophobic chemical contaminants.
Presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, with particular focus on seafood
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This assessment by the European Food Safety Authority reviews what is known about microplastics and nanoplastics in food, with a focus on seafood. Researchers found that while microplastics are present in many commercially important fish and shellfish species, most particles concentrate in the gut, which is typically removed before consumption. The study notes that nanoplastics remain poorly understood and highlights the need for better detection methods and exposure data to evaluate potential risks to human health.
Identification of polymer types and additives in marine microplastic particles using pyrolysis-GC/MS and scanning electron microscopy
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Researchers used pyrolysis and thermal analysis to identify polymer types and plastic additives in marine microplastic particles, finding a diverse range of polymers and additive chemicals in samples from multiple ocean environments.
Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Human Health
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This review explores how micro- and nanoplastics can enter the human body through the gut, lungs, and skin, and what potential health effects they might cause at the cellular level. While there is growing evidence that these particles trigger toxic responses in cells, research into their specific effects inside the human body is still limited. The paper calls for more studies on how nanoplastics in particular move through human tissue barriers and what long-term damage they may cause.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events
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This landmark clinical study found that patients with micro- and nanoplastics detected in their carotid artery plaque had a significantly higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death over a 34-month follow-up period compared to those without detectable plastics. This is one of the first studies to directly link microplastic presence in human blood vessels to worse cardiovascular outcomes. The findings suggest that plastic accumulation in arteries may be an important and previously unrecognized risk factor for heart disease.
Nanoplastic in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre
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Researchers detected and characterized nanoplastics in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, providing some of the first direct evidence that nanoplastic-sized particles are present in open ocean surface waters far from coastlines.