Abstract

Research on plastic pollution tends to split its epidemiological consequences from its ecological ones. This review reads the two literatures together. Following an adapted PRISMA protocol, it searches PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for English-language studies published between 2000 and 2024 and synthesizes the findings narratively. In the human body, microplastics are associated with disruption of the gut microbiome, damage to the intestinal epithelium, and endocrine interference. Their surfaces also carry biofilms in which pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria can travel, so the particles themselves become mobile disease vectors. In soil, microplastics reduce microbial diversity and alter both structure and nutrient cycling; crop performance suffers as a result. The review then evaluates candidate responses, among them plastic-degrading bacteria, antimicrobial polymers, and plant-based alternatives such as hemp and bamboo, and it flags unresolved problems with byproducts, biocontainment, scalability, and regulation. The case made throughout is for a single framework that ties human health to ecological health.