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Water-reducers, or plasticizers, are chemical admixtures used in concrete to improve strength and workability. These additives reduce the water-cement ratio without compromising workability, lower the cement content while maintaining the same workability, or increase workability to assist concrete placement in inaccessible areas.
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A material's elastic behavior is characterized by the disappearance of stress once the load is removed, allowing the material to return to its original state. However, when stress surpasses the yield point, yielding commences, marking the onset of plastic deformation or permanent set. This change from elastic to plastic behavior is influenced by the peak stress value and the duration before the load is removed. An intriguing observation occurs when a specimen is loaded, unloaded, and...
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Plastic deformation represents a fundamental concept in materials science, which explains the irreversible change in the shape of a material when it experiences stress beyond its elastic capability. This phenomenon is important in structural engineering, especially in designing and analyzing cantilever beams—structures that are securely fixed at one end and bear loads at the opposite end. When these beams are subjected to loads within their elastic range, they will return to their...
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The Human Plastiphere: A Bioparticulate System Challenging Microplastic Risk Assessment and Governance.

V C Shruti1, Gurusamy Kutralam-Muniasamy2

  • 1Lab 49, Contaminantes Emergentes, Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, San Pedro Zacatenco, Gustavo A. Madero, 07360 Ciudad de México, México.

Environmental Science & Technology
|October 1, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Microplastics (MPs) integrate into human tissues, forming a persistent "plastisphere" that impacts cardiovascular, reproductive, and metabolic health. This internal plastic burden poses escalating, transgenerational health risks requiring urgent scientific and policy action.

Keywords:
exposure assessmenthuman healthmicroplasticsrisk characterizationtissue distribution

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Toxicology
  • Synthetic Biology

Background:

  • Microplastic (MP) infiltration into human tissues signifies a shift from external pollution to internal biological integration.
  • The concept of the human plastisphere is introduced, defining it as a bioparticulate system of nonendogenous plastic particles within host tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the human plastisphere as a biological system.
  • To characterize the biological features, distribution, and interactions of MPs within human tissues.
  • To identify critical knowledge gaps and propose actionable solutions for the MP health crisis.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review and analysis of 90 clinical studies published between 2016 and 2025.
  • Definition and characterization of the human plastisphere based on MP persistence, distribution, and biological interactions.
  • Identification of paradoxes in MP behavior and toxicology.

Main Results:

  • The human plastisphere exhibits persistence (decade-scale retention), organized distribution (organotropism across 63 compartments), and active biological engagement (cardiovascular, reproductive, metabolic interference).
  • Eight paradoxes were identified, including size-defying barrier penetration and absent toxicity thresholds, highlighting gaps in synthetic particle biology.
  • MPs demonstrate selective biological rules (e.g., vascular trafficking) while defying others (e.g., phagocytic clearance), forming a measurable, transgenerational burden.

Conclusions:

  • The plastisphere challenges conventional toxicology, revealing MPs follow specific biological rules and pose escalating, transgenerational health risks.
  • Urgent actions are needed: harmonized detection protocols, polymer-specific safety thresholds, and source-targeted policy interventions.
  • The plastisphere framework guides research from detection to health-relevant, mechanistic, and policy-actionable solutions.