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Review
. 2025 Jun 18:13:1567200.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1567200. eCollection 2025.

Microplastics and human health: unraveling the toxicological pathways and implications for public health

Xu Zhang #  1 , Chunhong Yu #  2 , Peng Wang  3 , Chunping Yang  1
Affiliations
Review

Microplastics and human health: unraveling the toxicological pathways and implications for public health

Xu Zhang et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has raised urgent concerns regarding their implications for human health. This comprehensive review integrates recent findings on the sources, classification, and pathways of MPs into the human body, highlighting their potential cellular toxicity and systemic health risks. We discuss the mechanisms by which MPs may induce inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and cellular damage, thereby contributing to various diseases. Notably, we examine the synergistic effects of MPs in conjunction with other environmental pollutants, which may amplify their adverse health outcomes. This synthesis of current research underscores the critical need for multidisciplinary approaches to investigate the multifaceted interactions between MPs and human health, ultimately guiding future studies and informing public health strategies to mitigate exposure and associated risks.

Keywords: cellular toxicity; environmental pollutants; human health; microplastics; systemic health risk.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification and sources of MPs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sources of various MPs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
MPs inhaled from indoor and outdoor air environments.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Toxicity mechanisms of MPs on cells and organs.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The impact of MPs on different human systems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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