Microplastic contamination refers to the presence and distribution of synthetic polymer particles typically <5 mm in environmental matrices, including marine, freshwater, terrestrial, atmospheric, and biological systems. As a research topic, it encompasses sources (primary and secondary microplastics), transport pathways (e.g., hydrodynamic and atmospheric dispersion), physicochemical properties (size, shape, polymer type, surface chemistry), and interactions with co-contaminants such as persistent organic pollutants and metals. Studies investigate bioavailability, trophic transfer, organismal and cellular responses, and potential human exposure via inhalation and ingestion, as well as methodological challenges in sampling, analytical detection, quantification, and risk assessment frameworks.
Climate change conditions turn plastics into more mobile, persistent, and hazardous pollutants. This is done by speeding up plastic breakdown into microplastics—microscopic fragments of plastic—spreading them considerable ...
Environment
Nov 27, 2025
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Microplastics, tiny plastic particles pervasive in agricultural environments, interact with and disrupt the microbial ecosystem in the rumen—the first stomach chamber of cattle, reveals an international study.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 26, 2025
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It's safe to say Rhode Islanders have a symbiotic relationship with Narragansett Bay.
Earth Sciences
Nov 26, 2025
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A new study shows that microplastics in the natural environment are colonized by pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The study team calls for urgent action for waste management and strongly recommends wearing ...
Environment
Nov 25, 2025
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A recent spill of bio-beads—small plastic pellets used by some wastewater treatment facilities since the 1990s—has brought renewed attention to a problem that has been quietly accumulating in coastal waters for years.
Environment
Nov 24, 2025
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Marine animals inevitably eat what we toss in the ocean, including pervasive plastics—but how much is too much?
Environment
Nov 22, 2025
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Whether you're a home gardener or an industrial farmer, you might be familiar with mulching films—plastic sheets laid over the soil to protect seedlings and promote crop growth. But like many other plastic materials, these ...
Biotechnology
Nov 21, 2025
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A study by the University of Portsmouth has revealed for the first time the extent of the devastating impact of plastic pollution on livestock, humans and the wider environment on the Kenyan island of Lamu.
Environment
Nov 19, 2025
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Every year humanity produces nearly 300 million tons of plastic. Only a fraction ever gets recycled. Most ends up in rivers, oceans and soil, slowly breaking down into tiny, invisible microplastics that get into what we eat ...
Environment
Oct 28, 2025
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Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that Toronto's Don River carries over 500 billion microplastic particles into Lake Ontario each year—equal to about 36,000 kilograms, or the weight of 18 cars.
Environment
Oct 24, 2025
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