Plastic Rain: Microfibers Fall from the Sky in the Rocky Mountains New concerns are growing about the ubiquitous presence of plastic infiltrating the air, water, and soil. When Gregory Wetherbee was analyzing rainwater samples from the Rocky Mountains, he never expected to find plastic. "I expected to see mostly soil and mineral particles," said the U.S. Geological Survey investigator. Instead, he discovered microplastic fibers in various colors. This discovery, published in a recent study titled "Plastic Rain," has raised new concerns about the pervasive presence of plastic infiltrating the air, water, and soil. "I think the most important thing is to tell the American public that there is more plastic waste than we see; it's in rainwater, it's in snow. It's already part of our environment," Wetherbee said. Microscopic analysis of rainwater samples collected from Colorado revealed ghastly plastic fibers, as well as beads and fragments. This discovery startled Wetherbee, who was originally researching nitrogen pollution. "My research was purely accidental," he said, although it aligns with another recent study in the Pyrenees Mountains, which indicated that plastic particles can travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers with the wind. Other studies have also found microplastics in the deepest parts of the ocean, in British rivers and lakes, and in US groundwater. Sherri Mason, a microplastics researcher and sustainability coordinator at Pennsylvania State University's Berenices College, points to litter as a major source. Over 90% of litter is not recycled and slowly degrades into increasingly smaller fragments. "You get plastic fibers coming off your clothes every time you do laundry," Mason says. Plastic particles are also a byproduct of various industries. Mason states that tracing the source of these particles is impossible, but almost all plastic products can break down into small fragments that enter the atmosphere. "And these particles dissolve into raindrops when it rains," and then enter rivers, lakes, oceans, and seep into groundwater. Although scientists have been studying plastic pollution in the ocean for over a decade, they have only been able to reach 1%. Researchers know even less about plastic in drinking water and the air. "We can't really start quantifying it," says Stefan Krause, a professor at the University of Birmingham. Another unknown is whether it is theoretically possible to remove all plastic from nature, and how long that would take. Krause said, "Even if we wave our wands and stop using plastic, we still don't know how long it will circulate in river systems. Based on the plastic we've found accumulating in deep groundwater and rivers, I'd guess it would take centuries." Animals and humans ingest microplastics through water and food, and we likely inhale micro and nano-sized plastic particles from the air, but scientists don't yet understand the health effects. Microplastics can also trap and attach heavy metals like mercury and other harmful chemicals, as well as toxic bacteria. Krause said, "Plastic particles from furniture and carpets may contain flame retardants that are toxic to humans." Because we are exposed to hundreds of synthetic chemicals from birth, it's hard to say how much longer we could live without such exposure. Mason said, "We may never understand all the links between plastic and health. But we can be sure that inhaling plastic is not good, and we should start thinking about significantly reducing our dependence on plastic." Source: The Guardian (2019/08/13) Translated by: PIDC
