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Thursday, July 24, 2025

Earth's most remote places blanketed in dangerous material

 Latest findings reveal Earth's most remote places blanketed in dangerous material

Scientists were surprised to find tiny bits of plastic in remote areas. Early findings from an ambitious global research project show that micro plastics might truly be everywhere on our planet, even in the world's most remote locations. Alan Chambers has gained acclaim for exploring some of the world's most extreme locations. He has skied across Iceland and led a team that walked from Canada to the North Pole. His latest mission is for an important scientific cause. Chambers is heading up Mission Spiritus, an initiative aimed at assessing the global spread of microplastics and nanoplastics. His goal is to gather samples from remote locations on every continent. "Mission Spiritus aims to deliver evidence-based insights that enable impactful solutions, driving meaningful transformational change on one of humanity's most pressing environmental crises," the organization says. There’s “no nook or cranny” on the planet where it doesn’t end up, research revealed.

Plastic pollution isn’t just fouling the world’s oceans. It is also in the air we breathe, traveling on the wind and drifting down from the skies, according to a new study. More than 1,000 tons of tiny fragments rain down each year on national parks and wilderness areas in the American West alone, equivalent to between 123 million and 300 million plastic bottles worth. For the study, first journey took place last year, as Chambers and a fellow explorer spent two months skiing from the Antarctic coast to the geographic South Pole. Over the 715-mile journey, the pair filled tins with snow, which were eventually tested by a scientist in Chile. Although the research into those samples is on going, initial results have raised some eyebrows. "The researchers found some traces of plastic in (samples from) the middle of Antarctica. The only way it can get there is the wind system," Chambers said. "Is it snowing plastic in Antarctica?"

While the troublesome presence of plastics in landfills, in the oceans and in freshwater environments like the Great Lakes is well known. Previous studies have described finding airborne microplastics in, among other places, Europe, China and in the Arctic. Chambers retrieved samples earlier this year from the world's largest sand desert in Oman's Empty Quarter. This summer, he'll do the same in the Faroe Islands. If the project receives enough funding, Chambers also plans to explore remote locations in Chile, the Comoros Islands, Canada and Western Australia. There’s no nook or cranny on the surface of the earth which don’t have microplastics. It’s really unnerving to think about it. Finding plastic in remote parts of the US. The researchers collected samples from 11 national parks and wilderness areas. They found tiny bits of plastic in 98 % of the 339 samples they collected; plastics accounted for 4 % of the dust particles which were tested. Microplastics are tiny, sometimes imperceptible pieces of plastic which are no bigger than 5 mm, or the size of a pencil eraser. Tiny pieces of plastic can be manufactured for various uses, such as beads and microfibers, or they can break off from larger pieces of plastic.

No matter how they are created, however, microplastics are everywhere. Along with Antarctica, they're found commonly in our oceans, drinking water, soil and the air we breathe. Finding so much plastic in supposedly pristine areas was a very surprising result. The collections were made under both dry conditions and during periods of rain and snow, which helped determine the probable origins of the particles. Larger particles came down with rain and snow, while smaller ones showed up under dry conditions. The health effects of microplastic pollution are still largely unknown, but new research frequently emerges that paints a worrying picture. Recent studies have linked the issue to health problems such as diabetes, digestive issues and multiple cancers. The microfibers the researchers collected were consistent with the kinds of textiles used in making clothing and in producing carpeting and industrial coatings, as well as outdoor gear like tents and waterproof clothing. This was not the first time which showed microplastics in atmospheric deposition, or even the atmospheric deposition of microplastics to remote places. Chambers said that his goal is to raise awareness for plastic recycling in an attempt to keep microplastics out of the atmosphere and water.

The researchers concluded that the particles deposited in wet weather were likely to have originated from relatively near by, with the plastic bits swept into the air by storms from urban centres, and then falling again with the rain and snow. The smaller, lighter particles, they suggested, had, in contrast, been carried extremely long distances on currents high in the atmosphere and had become part of the cycles of global dust transport. The dry deposits constituted more than 75% of the plastic which was tested. And although reusing and recycling plastic will help (while also promoting the circular economy), so will using less of the material. Whether it's by choosing natural cleaning products or reusable shopping bags and food-storage containers, every time we choose to avoid plastic, we create fewer opportunities for plastic waste. The idea of “plastic in rain” is the kind of discovery which can “strain one’s imagination.”  The phenomenon could contribute to environmental disruption of microbial communities and cause broader ecological damage. Humans could be at risk as well. The presence of so many fine particles in the air means “we’re breathing it, too.” The health effects of taking in plastic particles is not well known, though the sizes of the particles detected are consistent with the size of those which accumulate in lung tissue. 

Particulate pollution, which includes dust, soot and other airborne threats, has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and respiratory disease; the World Health Organization estimates that small particulate pollution caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016. Previous studies of workplace exposure to high levels of inhaled plastic particles linked them to lung disease and tissue damage. The concentrations of plastics in the outdoor environment are lower, but could contribute to the effects of particulates. Another study about the impact of inhaled microplastics on health, says that in the atmosphere, these concentrations are still trace amounts in comparison to other prominent particles, such as the black carbon found in everyday soot. Until we have a robust understanding of our exposure, it’s difficult to infer health effects. Airborne plastics could already be contributing to the negative health effects of pollution, and adverse effects of chronic exposure to low concentrations of airborne microplastics cannot be excluded. The consequences to ecosystems are not yet well understood but are inescapable in the immediate future. If the potential dangers posed by environmental microplastics are to be mitigated, what will be required is nothing less than the engagement of the communities around the world and ensure positive steps are taken in this regard.

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