A systematic review of the effects of nanoplastics on fish
Abstract
The global concern about plastics has been amplified due to their widespread contamination in the environment and their ability to cross biological barriers in living organisms. However, our understanding of their bioaccumulation, toxicity, and interaction with other environmental pollutants remains limited. Plastics are classified into three categories: macro-(MAP > 5 mm), micro-(MIP, <5 mm), and nanoplastics (NAP≤ 100 nm). Among these, NAPs have superior sorption capacity, a large surface area, and a greater ability to release co-contaminants into tissues, resulting in more complex and harmful effects compared to MAPs and MIPs. To assess the toxic effects of NAPs, particularly their genotoxicity in fish, we carried out a bibliographic search in PubMed using the search terms "nanoplastics" and "fish," which yielded 233 articles. These studies focused on various polymers including polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PPP), polystyrene (PS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). We further refined our search by including fish species such as common carp, fathead minnows, medaka, tilapia, trout, and zebrafish and selected 114 articles for review. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the effects of NAPs on fishes, emphasizing their interaction with co-contaminants including metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, pesticides,…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
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