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.
Scientists from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Queen Mary University of London have developed a simple model to show how buoyant plastic can settle through the water column and they predict it could ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 23, 2025
0
52
The European Parliament on Thursday definitively adopted rules clamping down on pollution from the tiny pellets that constitute the building blocks of most plastic products.
Environment
Oct 23, 2025
0
17
Undergraduate and graduate students took a lead role in a Virginia Tech study that analyzed global research on marine debris, uncovering surprising sources of ocean trash and pointing out solutions for a growing environmental ...
Environment
Oct 21, 2025
0
18
Microplastics have become an invisible but persistent threat in rivers, lakes, oceans, and even in the water we drink. These tiny plastic fragments can drift for miles, settle on the seafloor, or remain suspended for years, ...
Environment
Oct 21, 2025
0
25
At first glance, the tiny plastic pellets appear relatively harmless. No bigger than a lentil, these "nurdles" are destined to be melted down to make everything from car bumpers to salad bowls.
Environment
Oct 21, 2025
1
40
Plastic is ubiquitous in the modern world, and it's notorious for taking a long time to completely break down in the environment—if it ever does.
Bio & Medicine
Oct 17, 2025
0
77
The fabrics that fill our homes, from natural cotton towels and bedsheets, to clothes produced with synthetic materials, produce microscopic fibers as they break down over time. Previous research has shown that household ...
Environment
Oct 15, 2025
0
46
Many measures have been initiated to reduce plastic pollution in Norway. Only a few of them will lead to extensive change and cleanup, a new study shows.
Environment
Oct 14, 2025
0
41
Scientists at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Dummerstorf and the University of Udine have detected the uptake of nanoplastics in farm animal cell cultures. The results provide evidence of potential ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 13, 2025
0
42
Seafood has received disproportionate attention in media coverage about microplastics, despite evidence that fish and shellfish are not the main source of human exposure, according to a new scientific review.
Environment
Oct 13, 2025
0
25
