Carpanez Thais G, Castro Livia Maria C, Santos Carolina R Dos, Amaral Míriam Cristina S, Moreira Victor R
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, 6627, Antônio Carlos Avenue, Campus Pampulha, 31270-010 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
An Acad Bras Cienc. 2025 Sep 5;97Suppl 3(Suppl 3):e20241393. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202420241393. eCollection 2025.
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging contaminants increasingly recognized for their environmental and health implications. While surface water systems have been extensively studied, the presence, behavior, and impacts of MNPs in groundwater remain underexplored, despite its critical role as water source worldwide. The findings in this review highlight that agricultural activities, particularly plastic mulches, pesticides containers, fertilizer bags, greenhouses, are major sources of MNP. Nanoplastics, predominant in groundwater due to their enhanced mobility in the vadose zone, exhibit a higher sorption capacity, facilitating the transport and accumulation of toxic substances such as hydrophobic organic pollutants and trace metals to/in groundwater. The review also discusses the hydrogeological and environmental factors influencing micro(nano)plastics distribution. In complement, synergistic and antagonistic effects arising from MNP interactions with other contaminants were reviewed, emphasizing the interactions with contaminants derived from agricultural practices (nitrate, herbicides, pesticides, and salts). Despite the generally low concentrations of MNPs in groundwater, their seasonal variability, combined with the aging of particles, underscores the need for long-term monitoring and risk assessments specific to groundwater systems. These findings reinforce the importance of research that addresses the unique challenges posed by micro- and nanoplastics in groundwater systems, ensuring their environmental protection.
微塑料和纳米塑料（MNPs）是新出现的污染物，其对环境和健康的影响日益受到关注。虽然地表水系统已得到广泛研究，但尽管地下水作为全球水源具有关键作用，MNPs在地下水中的存在、行为和影响仍未得到充分探索。本综述中的研究结果表明，农业活动，特别是塑料地膜、农药容器、化肥袋、温室，是MNPs的主要来源。纳米塑料因其在包气带中更强的迁移性而在地下水中占主导地位，具有更高的吸附能力，促进了疏水性有机污染物和痕量金属等有毒物质向地下水的迁移和积累。综述还讨论了影响微（纳）塑料分布的水文地质和环境因素。此外，还综述了MNPs与其他污染物相互作用产生的协同和拮抗效应，重点强调了与农业活动产生的污染物（硝酸盐、除草剂、农药和盐）的相互作用。尽管地下水中MNPs的浓度通常较低，但其季节性变化以及颗粒的老化，凸显了针对地下水系统进行长期监测和风险评估的必要性。这些研究结果强化了针对地下水系统中微塑料和纳米塑料所带来的独特挑战开展研究的重要性，以确保对其进行环境保护。
