Scientists found that a secluded area in France’s Pyrenees mountains, long considered pristine, is covered in microplastics.
The team of researchers, from universities in Strathclyde and Toulouse, spent five months in the mountainous area. Researchers estimate that everyday an average of 365 pieces of microplastics settled on every square meter of land in the area.
Microplastics are completely invisible to the naked eye and have been detected in the oceans, aquatic life, tap water and they have even reached Antarctica.
The presence of microplastics in water has received a great deal of study and media attention, but only two previous studies have looked for the presence of microplastics in the air. Both studies tested the air for microplastics in cities and found results that were comparable to this study in the Pyrenees.
The closest major city to the area in the Pyrenees that was studied is about 75 miles away.
Photo: “Flying over lakes and mountains” by Pedro is licensed under CC BY 2.0
ANARCHIMEDIA 