Natural environmental conditions facilitate the uptake of microplastics into living cells

(Universität Bayreuth) The environment is polluted by microplastics worldwide. A research team at the University of Bayreuth has now discovered that microplastic particles find their way into living cells more easily if they were exposed to natural aquatic environments, i.e. fresh water and seawater. Biomolecules occurring in the water are deposited on the microplastic surfaces, which promote the internalization of the particles into cells.