ReviewACS ES&T water2026
Microplastics as Emerging Cotracers in Groundwater Quality Assessments.
Review in ACS ES&T water, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study evaluates the feasibility of using microplastics (MPs) as cotracers within multitracer hydrogeological frameworks, alongside established tools such as water-stable isotopes, major and trace elements, and chemicals of emerging concern. Given that plastic production expanded globally only after the 1950s, MPs can serve as event markers delimiting recent recharge episodes or, when detected in older groundwater, as indicators of mixing or artificial recharge. MP properties including particle size, polymer type, shape, and density carry information about particulate transport dynamics and anthropogenic influence that dissolved tracers cannot provide. The utility of MPs as cotracers is particularly relevant in young groundwater systems directly connected to surface environments. Key limitations include contamination risks, the influence of artificial recharge on signal interpretation, and the cost and complexity of MP characterization. Integrating MP with hydrochemical and isotopic data sets, developing context-specific sampling protocols, and prioritizing open data sharing would advance this emerging methodological approach.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.