The effects of concentration, duration of exposure, size and surface function of polymethyl methacrylate micro/nanoplastics on human liver cells.

Micro/nanoplastics (MP/NP) are pervasive contaminants that are detected throughout the environment in diverse matrices. Exposure to MP/NP have been demonstrated in humans by their presence in numerous body fluids and tissues. Due to the large quantity of production and broad applications, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) MP/NP have frequently been measured in surveys of microplastics in the environment.

Disposition of [C]-polystyrene microplastics after oral administration to lactating sheep.

Microplastics have become a ubiquitous contaminant, but their fate in food animals is largely unknown. In this study, [C]-polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) particles were orally dosed to lactating sheep to evaluate their absorption and disposition. Elimination of the [C]-PS-MP was predominately through faeces with faecal radioactivity peaking at 24 h post-dosing but continuing to be present throughout the entire 72 h study period.

Fate and disposition of [C]-polystyrene microplastic after oral administration to laying hens.

Micro/nanoplastics (MP) are emerging environmental contaminants of great concern because of their ubiquitous distribution in air, soil, water, and food. Reports have described MP in the excreta of food animals, but their absorption, distribution, and elimination in terrestrial animals used for human consumption is essentially unexplored. To determine the absorption and distribution of [C]-polystyrene (PS) MP, laying hens (n = 15) were bolus dosed with 10 μCi/hen (11.

Effects of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics on liver cells based on particle size, surface functionalization, concentration and exposure period.

Micro/nanoplastics (MP/NP) contaminate our food and drinking water but their impact on human health has not been well-documented. The liver is one of the first organs that ingested MP/NP encounter and it has a major role in the clearance of xenobiotics. Therefore, the effects of polystyrene MP/NP on liver HepG2 cells were studied.

Uptake and toxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in gastric cells: Effects of particle size and surface functionalization.

Toxicity of micro or nanoplastics (MP/NP) in aquatic life is well-documented, however, information about the consequences of exposure to these particles in terrestrial species is scarce. This study was used to evaluate the uptake and/or toxicity of polystyrene MP/NP in human gastric cells, comparing doses, particle sizes (50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 or 5000 nm) and surface functionalization (aminated, carboxylated or non-functionalized). In general, the uptake of 50 nm particles was significantly higher than 1000 nm particles.

An In Vitro Comparison of Estrogenic Equivalents Per Serving Size of Some Common Foods.

The public assumes that some foods, such as milk and ground beef from cattle receiving steroidal implants, are associated with estrogenic hormones, while other foods are presumed "safe" or nonestrogenic. Here, we investigate these assumptions by assessing the relative estrogenic activity of a serving size of four foods: skim milk (8 oz), rice (48 g dry wt) in cooking bag, ground beef patties from steers raised with or without hormone implantation (quarter lb each, 114 g), and tofu burgers (isocaloric to beef burger, 198 g), using an in vitro assay (E-Screen). Mean picogram (pg) estradiol equivalents (E2Eqs) on a serving basis were as follows: skim milk 120; rice 400; rice prepared in cooking bag 370; rice boiling bag alone 4 pg per bag, ground beef burger (obtained from the tissue of cattle that had received no hormone implants) 389, beef burger (obtained from cattle that had received hormone implant) 384, and tofu burger 1,020,000.

Destruction of estrogens using Fe-TAML/peroxide catalysis.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) impair living organisms by interfering with hormonal processes controlling cellular development Reduction of EDCs in water by an environmentally benign method is an important green chemistry goal. One EDC, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), the active ingredient in the birth control pill, is excreted by humans to produce a major source of artificial environmental estrogenicity, which is incompletely removed by currenttechnologies used by municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs). Natural estrogens found in animal waste from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) can also increase estrogenic activity of surface waters.

Estrogenic activity and steroid hormones in swine wastewater through a lagoon constructed-wetland system.

Anaerobic lagoons and treatment wetlands are used worldwide to treat wastewater from dense livestock production facilities; however, there is very limited data on the hormonal activity of the wastewater effluent produced by these treatment systems. The objectives of this experiment were to measure (1) the hormonal activity of the initial effluent and (2) the effectiveness of a lagoon-constructed wetland treatment system for producing an effluent with a low hormonal activity. Wastewater samples were taken in April, July, and November 2004 and July 2005 from a lagoon-constructed wetland system at a swine farrowing facility.