Microparticles of plastic were first discovered on hard-to-reach mountain peaks - this suggests that they are transported through the air even to the most remote corners of the planet.
As reported in the journal Nature Geoscience, for five months, researchers from the University of Strathclyde took samples at an altitude of 4.6 thousand feet above sea level in the Pyrenees mountain range, which forms the natural border between France and Spain. This area is located in southwestern France, just over four miles from the nearest village and about 75 miles from the nearest city, Toulouse. This area is considered an unpolluted island of untouched wilderness due to the lack of development and its inaccessibility, as well as its remoteness from major cities and industrial centers.
However, during the research, the team found an average of 365 plastic particles per square meter. This suggests that people are likely to inhale toxic particles, even while in the fresh mountain air.
The results of this study proved for the first time that plastic microparticles are carried by the wind to such remote areas. Calculations show that they had to travel at least 60 miles to reach the studied area.
“It is striking and disturbing that so many particles were found in the investigated area of the Pyrenees,” commented study leader Steve Allen, a doctoral student at the University of Strathclyde and an employee at EcoLab, a water, hygiene and energy technology company.
“It can be unequivocally proved that these particles are carried there by the wind. Thus, they can be carried quite far away from the sources, and therefore, people may inhale them not only in cities,”Allen added.
“This mountainous area has been the subject of numerous interdisciplinary environmental and environmental studies over the past decade, but we still did not expect the samples to reveal such high levels of microplastics,” said study co-author Dr. Gael Le Roux of EcoLab.
Microplastics are released during use of items such as synthetic clothing, tires and machinery and may be far from their original source. These tiny pieces less than 5 millimeters in size are mostly invisible to the naked eye.
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Particles of plastic have been found in tap water around the world and in some of the most remote places on earth; studies have shown that they even reached Antarctica. Marine creatures often mistake these particles for plankton and swallow them.
Along with fragments of plastic, toxic substances also accumulate in ecosystems, which are added to it to improve plasticity, preserve color or increase durability.
Although the long-term effects of inhaling or ingesting microplastics have not yet been studied, studies in mice and fish in the laboratory have shown effects on feeding and mating behavior.
"The findings suggest that plastic microparticles are everywhere, so even the most distant corners of human activity can be prone to contamination," - said Dr. Stephanie Wright of King's College London, commenting on the results of the study.
“Microplastics are persistent and therefore will accumulate in the environment over time if emissions are not reduced,” she warned.
Alice Horton, an ecotoxicologist at the Center for Ecology and Hydrology, added: “This study provides the first time concrete evidence of airborne transport of plastic microparticles to remote regions. Consequently, these findings broaden our understanding of the ways in which plastic microparticles can spread widely across the globe.”
“The concentrations of microparticles found in this study were comparable to those found in urban areas. This suggests that many remote regions may not be as clean as anticipated for microplastics, and this fact requires further research,”concluded Horton.
The approximate time required for some commonly used items to decompose:
- plastic bag: 20 - 1000 years;
- plastic bottle: 450 years;
- polystyrene cup: 50 years;
- PE coated paper cup: 30 years;
- glass bottle: a million years;
- disposable diaper: 450 years;
- aluminum can: 80 - 200 years;
- cigarette butt: 1 - 5 years;
- waxed milk carton: 3 months;
- paper towel: 2 - 4 weeks.
Author: Natalia Golovakha