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Review
. 2024 Mar 29;75(1):1-14.
doi: 10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3807. eCollection 2024 Mar 1.

Science-based evidence on pathways and effects of human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics

Buket Bakan  1   2 , Nikolina Kalčec  1 , Sijin Liu  3 , Krunoslav Ilić  1 , Yu Qi  3 , Ivona Capjak  4 , Lucija Božičević  1 , Nikolina Peranić  1 , Ivana Vinković Vrček  1
Affiliations
Review

Science-based evidence on pathways and effects of human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics

Buket Bakan et al. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. .

Abstract
in English, Croatian

Human exposure to plastic particles has raised great concern among all relevant stakeholders involved in the protection of human health due to the contamination of the food chain, surface waters, and even drinking water as well as due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. Now more than ever, it is critical that we understand the biological fate of plastics and their interaction with different biological systems. Because of the ubiquity of plastic materials in the environment and their toxic potential, it is imperative to gain reliable, regulatory-relevant, science-based data on the effects of plastic micro- and nanoparticles (PMNPs) on human health in order to implement reliable risk assessment and management strategies in the circular economy of plastics. This review presents current knowledge of human-relevant PMNP exposure doses, pathways, and toxic effects. It addresses difficulties in properly assessing plastic exposure and current knowledge gaps and proposes steps that can be taken to underpin health risk perception, assessment, and mitigation through rigorous science-based evidence. Based on the existing scientific data on PMNP adverse health effects, this review brings recommendations on the development of PMNP-specific adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) following the AOP Users' Handbook of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Izloženost ljudi česticama plastike izaziva veliku zabrinutost svih značajnih sudionika koji su uključeni u zaštitu ljudskoga zdravlja zbog onečišćenja prehrambenog lanca, površinskih voda, čak i pitke vode, kao i zbog njihove postojanosti i bioakumulacije. Stoga je ključno bolje razumijevanje biološke sudbine plastike i njezine interakcije s različitim biološkim sustavima. Zbog učestalosti materijala plastike u okolišu i njihove potencijalne toksičnosti, važno je prikupiti pouzdane, regulatorno značajne i znanstveno utemeljene podatke o učincima mikro- i nanoplastike na ljudsko zdravlje kako bi se pravilno primijenile pouzdane strategije procjene rizika i upravljanja rizicima u kružnoj ekonomiji lanca vrijednosti plastike. Ovaj pregledni rad predstavlja trenutačno znanje o dozama izloženosti mikro- i nanoplastici relevantnima za ljude, oblicima izloženosti, kao i o njezinim toksičnim učincima. Istaknute su poteškoće u pravilnoj procjeni problema izloženosti plastici i trenutačni nedostatci u znanju te su predloženi potencijalni koraci koji se mogu poduzeti kako bi se podržala percepcija, procjena i ublažavanje rizika za zdravlje strogim znanstveno utemeljenim dokazima. Na temelju postojećih znanstvenih podataka o štetnim učincima mikro- i nanoplastike na zdravlje, daju se preporuke za razvoj specifičnih načina nepoželjnih ishoda (eng. adverse outcome pathway, krat. AOP) za mikro- i nanoplastiku prema priručniku korisnika AOP-a Organizacije za ekonomsku suradnju i razvoj (izv. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, krat. OECD).

Keywords: adverse outcome; materijali plastike; nepovoljan ishod; plastic particles; procjena rizika; regulacijski značajni podatci; regulatory-relevant data; risk assessment, risk management; upravljanje rizikom.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

None to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of literature search in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database
Figure 2
Figure 2
Human exposure routes to plastic micro- and nanoparticles in humans (created with BioRender. com)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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