Millions of small pieces of plastic swirl around in it Soil‘s atmosphere and travels across continents, according to a new study. This environmental problem is likely to get much worse and could have serious consequences for human health, experts say.
Microplastics are less than 5 millimeters long, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)And previous studies had shown that these microscopic particles can be found in the ocean bottled water even our poop, but until now the atmospheric part of this “plastic cycle” has been poorly understood.
The new study revealed thousands of tons of microplastics already in the atmosphere, with roads being the largest contributor. Computer models also showed how particles are transported over great distances around the world and showed that nowhere is safe from the pollution.
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The researchers said their findings highlight that microplastics are one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time.
“Microplastics have the ability to disrupt almost any ecosystem, not to mention human health,” lead author Janice Brahney, an environmental scientist at Utah State University, told Live Science. “We are actually only starting to understand the extent of the pollution, let alone the consequences.”
In terms of importance, the problem is exactly with that climate change and is somewhat intertwined with it, “since plastics are a product of fossil fuels,” Brahney said.
Entering the atmosphere
To find out how microplastics are transported in and through the atmosphere, Brahney and her colleagues measured the precipitation of airborne particles, due to both gravity and rain, at locations in the western United States over a 14-month period. . Based on their findings, they estimate that there are about 1,100 tons (1,000 metric tons) of microplastics in the atmosphere over the western US.
The team was “absolutely shocked” by the amount of microplastics they found, Brahney said.
The researchers had predicted that cities would be the largest source of atmospheric microplastics, but analysis of the plastic showed that roads were the main culprit, responsible for 84% of atmospheric microplastics.
“When you consider that plastic, like dust, has to enter the atmosphere through some physical force, it makes more sense,” Brahney said. “Roads – and, more importantly, cars driving on roads – provide the mechanical energy to move particles in the atmosphere.”
Other sources included the oceans (11%) and agricultural commodity (5%), both of which were accompanied by strong winds that pushed particles into the air. However, the researchers suspect that all three of these sources are likely to contribute to different levels of pollution in other parts of the world.
Circles the planet
Using the data they collected, the researchers created computer models to figure out how microplastics are transported across the planet and which areas are likely to be hot spots for the highest levels of microplastics, such as Europe, East Asia, the Middle East , India and the United States. States.
“The atmosphere is one of the reasons microplastics are so widespread,” Brahney said. “It has the potential to transport plastic to disparate locations, across continents and to truly remote locations that would otherwise be untouched by human pollution.”
The researchers found that the plastic particles could remain in the air for between an hour and 6.5 days. That upper limit is enough time for transcontinental transport, that means even places like Antarctica are at risk of pollution despite having no direct sources of plastic.
“No one is protected from this source of pollution,” said Brahney. “We can ship our waste to other countries, but it will just come back to haunt us.”
Next steps
The issue of microplastics in the atmosphere is also likely to get much worse.
“Plastic takes some time to disintegrate into the tiny fragments we see in the atmosphere,” Brahney said. “Because we don’t have effective means of dealing with plastic waste, and the problem is growing, it may be that in the future more plastic ends up in our environment and thus our atmosphere.”
Another important avenue of research, Brahney said, is to find out how plastic in the air can affect human health.
“Inhaling a particle can have negative health effects,” Brahney said. “But at the moment we don’t know whether plastics are more or less harmful than other natural aerosols.”
The study was published online April 12 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Originally published on Live Science.