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 bits of plastic that wear off bottles, plastic bags, automotive parts and even cosmetics get into the soil and the water supply. They disrupt chemical cycles, throw off ecosystem health and pollute environments both ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 6, 2022
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202
Large pieces of plastic can break down into nanosized particles that often find their way into the soil and water. Perhaps less well known is that they can also float in the air. It's unclear how nanoplastics impact human ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 23, 2022
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247
How do you count the nanoplastics in your body? Leiden researchers published a method in Nature Protocols today that should make this easier, and important development for both environmental and medicine research.
Bio & Medicine
Jun 30, 2022
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96
Microplastics are found nearly everywhere on Earth and can be harmful to animals if they're ingested. But it's hard to remove such tiny particles from the environment, especially once they settle into nooks and crannies at ...
Nanophysics
Jun 22, 2022
1
272
A new study shows that a form of optical tweezers can be used to detect small microplastics from tires and road wear, that previously has been too small to detect. The results can be used to develop more sustainable tires ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 21, 2022
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70
The occurrence of microplastics in nature has been studied extensively, also at the University of Eastern Finland. However, little is known about the health effects of microplastics, and understanding of their transport into ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 17, 2022
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112
It's now possible to measure how many plastic particles there are in our food. Chinese scientists and Leiden University professor Willie Peijnenburg applied their new method to lettuce and wheat. Their results were published ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 20, 2022
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271
Using a new microspectroscopic technique, collaborating scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Nanjing University in China have found that steam disinfection of silicone-rubber baby bottle nipples exposes ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 29, 2021
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832
Small pieces of plastic are everywhere, stretching from urban environments to pristine wilderness. Left to their own devices, it can take hundreds of years for them to degrade completely. Catalysts activated by sunlight could ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 9, 2021
2
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