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.
The tiny particles of various sizes from new and old car and truck tires did not turn out to be neutral surfaces on which bacteria colonize. Rather, they altered the composition of the biofilms—the bacterial layers that cover ...
Ecology
Sep 1, 2025
0
111
They can be found in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. They can be found within our cells, our organs and even our brains.
Environment
Aug 27, 2025
0
66
Microplastics and nanoplastics are not only polluting our oceans, rivers and fields, but also our forests, according to geoscientists at TU Darmstadt. Their research is published in Communications Earth & Environment.
Earth Sciences
Aug 27, 2025
0
390
On August 19, a coalition of environmental groups and state lawmakers called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to put in place tougher rules to reduce plastic pollution in the oceans and across California's landscape, five months after ...
Environment
Aug 20, 2025
0
29
Representatives at the recent United Nations conference in Geneva have once again failed to negotiate a binding global treaty to tackle plastic pollution. The Switzerland gathering was the sixth round of talks in less than ...
Environment
Aug 18, 2025
0
17
The "Paris agreement for plastic" was set to be finalized at the end of this week.
Environment
Aug 16, 2025
0
52
Talks aimed at striking a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution fell apart Friday without agreement, as countries failed to find consensus on how the world should tackle the ever-growing scourge.
Environment
Aug 15, 2025
0
46
Negotiators from around the world are gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for the final UN intergovernmental session to hammer out a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution.
Environment
Aug 13, 2025
1
29
Kulsum Beghum sorts waste at a landfill in Dhaka. Her blood contains 650 microplastic particles per milliliter, according to an analysis funded by a waste pickers' union.
Environment
Aug 13, 2025
0
27
Collecting and analyzing the amount of toxic micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) in water is comparatively easy: Fill a bucket from your source, evaporate the water, and count and characterize the plastics that are left behind. ...
Environment
Aug 12, 2025
0
66
