Fibrous foes: First report on insidious microplastic contamination in dietary fiber supplements.

Regular consumption of health supplements to balance dietary intake has gained popularity worldwide. One such supplement that has gained popularity among consumers is dietary fibers. Microplastic (MPs) contamination in various food products is being reported worldwide.

A comprehensive analysis and risk evaluation of microplastics contamination in Australian commercial plant growth substrates: Unveiling the invisible threat.

In Australia, quality standards for composts and potting mixes are defined by AS4454-2012 and AS3743-2012. These standards outline key parameters, including physicochemical properties, nutrient content, and plant toxicity. However, they do not address emerging pollutants like microplastics (< 1 mm).

Microplastics and climate change: the global impacts of a tiny driver.

Microplastic pollution and climate change, the two seemingly distinct phenomena of global concern, are interconnected through various pathways. The connecting links between the two include the biological carbon pumps in the oceans, the sea ice, the plastisphere involved in biogeochemical cycling and the direct emissions of greenhouse gases from microplastics. On one hand, the presence of microplastics in the water column disrupts the balance of the natural carbon sequestration by affecting the key players in the pumping of carbon, such as the phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Landscape fire smoke airway exposure impairs respiratory and cardiac function and worsens experimental asthma.

Background: Millions of people are exposed to landscape fire smoke (LFS) globally, and inhalation of LFS particulate matter (PM) is associated with poor respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes. However, how LFS affects respiratory and cardiovascular function is less well understood.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the pathophysiologic effects of representative LFS airway exposure on respiratory and cardiac function and on asthma outcomes.

Organ-specific distribution and size-dependent toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in Australian bass (Macquaria novemaculeata).

Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are emerging contaminants found in air, water, and food. Ageing and weathering processes convert aquatic plastics into MNPs which, due to their small size, can be assimilated by organisms. The accumulation of MNPs in aquatic life (e.

Lacustrine plastisphere: Distinct succession and assembly processes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities and role of site, time, and polymer types.

Microplastics as a carrier can promote microbial diffusion, potentially influencing the ecological functions of microbial communities in aquatic environments. However, our understanding of the assembly mechanism of microbial communities on different microplastic polymers in freshwater lakes during succession is still insufficient, especially for the eukaryotes. Here, the colonization time, site, and polymer types of microplastics were comprehensively considered to investigate the composition and assembly of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities and their driving factors during the lacustrine plastisphere formation.

Advances in magnetic materials for microplastic separation and degradation.

The widespread use of plastics in modern human society has led to severe environmental pollution with microplastics (MP/MPs). The rising consumption of plastics raises the omnipresence of microplastics in aquatic environments, which carry toxic organic matter, transport toxic chemicals, and spread through the food chain, seriously threatening marine life and human health. In this context, several advanced strategies for separating and degrading MPs from water have been developed recently, and magnetic materials and their nanostructures have emerged as promising materials for targeting, adsorbing, transporting, and degrading MPs.

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in long-term biosolid-applied rehabilitation land: An overlooked pathway for microplastic entry into terrestrial ecosystems in Australia.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) efficiently eliminate over 98% of microplastics (MPs) from wastewater discharge, subsequently accumulating them in sludge. This sludge is frequently employed as fertilizer in agricultural practices or land rehabilitation. While there is significant research on biosolid application in agriculture, the discussion regarding its application in rehabilitating industrial zones and MPs contamination is limited.

Nanoplastics alter ecosystem multifunctionality and may increase global warming potential.

Although the presence of nanoplastics in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems has received increasing attention, little is known about its potential effect on ecosystem processes and functions. Here, we evaluated if differentially charged polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics (PS-NH and PS-SO H) exhibit distinct influences on microbial community structure, nitrogen removal processes (denitrification and anammox), emissions of greenhouse gases (CO , CH , and N O), and ecosystem multifunctionality in soils with and without earthworms through a 42-day microcosm experiment. Our results indicated that nanoplastics significantly altered soil microbial community structure and potential functions, with more pronounced effects for positively charged PS-NH than for negatively charged PS-SO H.

A disaster risk reduction framework for the new global instrument to end plastic pollution.

There are many benefits to be realized by applying a disaster risk reduction framework to the context of plastic pollution, especially in regards to operationalizing the precautionary principle that is inherent in many international treaties and conventions. We explore the implications of framing plastic pollution as a 'disaster' in light of the development of the new global instrument to end plastic pollution by aligning the objectives of the United Nations (UN) Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SF) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and thereby also complementing the many climate and non-climate mandates embedded within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It has been proposed that the UN global instrument to end plastic pollution could be based on the guidelines of the Paris Agreement (PA), driven by national action plans, potential to offset and mandatory reporting requirements.

Consuming microplastics? Investigation of commercial salts as a source of microplastics (MPs) in diet.

The omnipresence of microplastics (MPs) in marine and terrestrial environments as a pollutant of concern is well established and widely discussed in the literature. However, studies on MP contamination in commercial food sources like salts from the terrestrial environment are scarce. Thus, this is the first study to investigate various varieties of Australian commercial salts (both terrestrial and marine salts) as a source of MPs in the human diet, and the first to detect MPs in black salt.

Understanding the pathogenesis of occupational coal and silica dust-associated lung disease.

Workers in the mining and construction industries are at increased risk of respiratory and other diseases as a result of being exposed to harmful levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) for extended periods of time. While clear links have been established between PM exposure and the development of occupational lung disease, the mechanisms are still poorly understood. A greater understanding of how exposures to different levels and types of PM encountered in mining and construction workplaces affect pathophysiological processes in the airways and lungs and result in different forms of occupational lung disease is urgently required.

Spatial turnover of core and occasional bacterial taxa in the plastisphere from a plateau river, China.

Plastic surfaces in the environment are a comparatively new niche for microbial colonization, also known as the "plastisphere". However, our understanding of the core and occasional bacterial taxa in the plastisphere is limited. Here, environmental plastic, water, and sediment samples were collected from 10 sites in a plateau river (Lhasa River, China) in September of 2019.

Kinetic and isotherm insights of Diclofenac removal by sludge derived hydrochar.

Recently, hydrothermal carbonization emerges as the most viable option for the management of solid waste with high moisture content. Sludge derived hydrochar is used as an adsorbent for emerging contaminants or micro-pollutants in the domain of sustainability. Current study demonstrates the KOH activation of hydrochar produced from paper board mill sludge and evaluates its removal potential of a Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Diclofenac from aqueous solution.

Polymer prioritization framework: A novel multi-criteria framework for source mapping and characterizing the environmental risk of plastic polymers.

Plastics are an intrinsic part of modern life with many beneficial uses for society. Yet, there is increasing evidence that plastic and microplastic pollution poses a risk to the environment and human health. Microplastics are increasingly grouped as a complex mix of polymers with different physicochemical and toxicological properties.

A critical review on the role of abiotic factors on the transformation, environmental identity and toxicity of engineered nanomaterials in aquatic environment.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are at the forefront of many technological breakthroughs in science and engineering. The extensive use of ENMs in several consumer products has resulted in their release to the aquatic environment. ENMs entering the aquatic ecosystem undergo a dynamic transformation as they interact with organic and inorganic constituents present in aquatic environment, specifically abiotic factors such as NOM and clay minerals, and attain an environmental identity.

Indoor Particulate Matter in Urban Households: Sources, Pathways, Characteristics, Health Effects, and Exposure Mitigation.

Particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air with varying size, shape, and chemical composition which intensifies significant concern due to severe health effects. Based on the well-established human health effects of outdoor PM, health-based standards for outdoor air have been promoted (e.g.

Understanding the Fundamental Basis for Biofilm Formation on Plastic Surfaces: Role of Conditioning Films.

Conditioning films (CFs) are surface coatings formed by the adsorption of biomolecules from the surrounding environment that can modify the material-specific surface properties and precedes the attachment of microorganisms. Hence, CFs are a biologically relevant identity that could govern the behavior and fate of microplastics in the aquatic environment. In the present study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polylactic acid (PLA) plastic cards were immersed in natural seawater to allow the formation of CFs.

Biofilms Enhance the Adsorption of Toxic Contaminants on Plastic Microfibers under Environmentally Relevant Conditions.

Microplastics (MPs) exposed to the natural environment provide an ideal surface for biofilm formation, which potentially acts as a reactive phase facilitating the sorption of hazardous contaminants. Until now, changes in the contaminant sorption capacity of MPs due to biofilm formation have not been quantified. This is the first study that compared the capacity of naturally aged, biofilm-covered microplastic fibers (BMFs) to adsorb perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and lead (Pb) at environmentally relevant concentrations.

Fingerprinting Plastic-Associated Inorganic and Organic Matter on Plastic Aged in the Marine Environment for a Decade.

The long-term aging of plastic leads to weathering and biofouling that can influence the behavior and fate of plastic in the marine environment. This is the first study to fingerprint the contaminant profiles and bacterial communities present in plastic-associated inorganic and organic matter (PIOM) isolated from 10 year-aged plastic. Plastic sleeves were sampled from an oyster aquaculture farm and the PIOM was isolated from the intertidal, subtidal, and sediment-buried segments to investigate the levels of metal(loid)s, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and explore the microbial community composition.

Exploring the Composition and Functions of Plastic Microbiome Using Whole-Genome Sequencing.

Besides the ecotoxicological consequences of microplastics and associated chemicals, the association of microbes on plastics has greater environmental implications as microplastics may select for unique microbiome participating in environmentally significant functions. Despite this, the functional potential of the microbiome associated with different types of plastics is understudied. Here, we investigate the interaction between plastic and marine biofilm-forming microorganisms through a whole-genome sequencing approach on four types of microplastics incubated in the marine environment.

Estimation of the mass of microplastics ingested - A pivotal first step towards human health risk assessment.

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics in the food web has been established. However, the mass of microplastics exposure to humans is not defined, impeding the human health risk assessment. Our objectives were to extract the data from the available evidence on the number and mass of microplastics from various sources, to determine the uncertainties in the existing data, to set future research directions, and derive a global average rate of microplastic ingestion to assist in the development of human health risk assessments and effective management and policy options.

Baseline analysis of metal(loid)s on microplastics collected from the Australian shoreline using citizen science.

Microplastics are an emerging contaminant in aquatic environments. Information on the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in Australia is limited and their interactions with chemical contaminants have not been addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to generate baseline information on the physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics on Australian shorelines to facilitate further detailed risk assessment.