The Pyrenees Mountains may not be as pristine as we once thought it to be, and it’s our fault, too. Scientists have found high levels of airborne microplastics in a secluded region of the mountain range straddling France and Spain. The team of scientists from Strathclyde University and Toulouse University made the unsettling discovery after spending five months in the area.
They collected samples from a secluded region previously considered as uncontaminated in southwest France. The nearest village was about four miles while Toulouse, the nearest major city, was about 75 miles away from the study area.
The samples, which were collected via monitoring devices, were then analyzed for the presence of microplastics. These are tiny plastic pieces less than five millimeters long and, thus, invisible to the naked eye.
After an extensive study, the researchers estimated that an average of 365 microplastic fibers settled on every square meter of land every day. While the exact distance that microplastics can travel isn’t known yet, the research also suggests that these fragments can travel up to 60 miles over an area.
According to Steve Allen from Strathclyde University, their research suggested that microplastics were transported by the wind. He added that, “It’s astounding and worrying that so many particles were found in the Pyrenees field site.”
There’s then the possibility that microplastics aren’t just in the city since these can travel over a significant distance from their sources, he further said. He also said that while researchers have yet to determine microplastics’ full impact, other experiments have also suggested that microplastics could result in changes in the mating and feeding habits among some animal species.
But microplastics aren’t just in the Pyrenees Mountains. These have also been detected in the oceans as well as in the aquatic flora and fauna!
Plastic, of course, comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The larger pieces usually degrade into increasingly smaller pieces that find their way into the land and waterways. The tiny pieces are considered microplastics, too.
In addition, there are also microbeads, a type of microplastic added to beauty and health products as exfoliants; toothpastes and cleansers are typical products. These are tiny polyethylene plastic particles that easily pass through modern water filtration systems and eventually end up in the natural bodies of water.
Currently, the study of microplastics is still an emerging field of study and, thus, there isn’t comprehensive knowledge about them yet. But there are several initiatives aimed at rectifying the situation.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is at the forefront of these initiatives. The program has developed standardized field techniques and technologies for the collection of sand, sediment and surface water samples.
Eventually, the program aims to develop standardized field and laboratory protocols for making worldwide comparisons of the amount of microplastics in the environment. The studies will then be the first step in the determination of the final worldwide distribution as well as the impact of microplastics.
While microplastics including microbeads have only been recently in the public consciousness, these aren’t a new problem. The United Nations Environment Program asserted that these were first used in personal care products about 50 years ago. At the time, manufacturers increasingly used plastics as substitutes for natural ingredients.
Fast forward to 2012 when most consumers were still unaware that many personal care products contained plastic microbeads.
Fortunately, government action and public awareness increased in the following years. The landmark legislation came in the form of the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 that then-President Barack Obama signed into law on December 28, 2015. The law banned the use of plastic microbeads in personal care and cosmetic products, among other provisions.
Studies have shown that microplastics are already in tap water worldwide! These are also present in some of the remotest places on the planet including the Arctic Ocean, even in Antarctica.
On April 2018, record levels of microplastics were trapped inside sea ice on the Arctic Ocean. Researchers gathered ice cores across the Arctic Ocean and found that the concentration of microplastics were two to three times higher than previous records.
As many as 17 types of plastic were in the floating sea ice.
The microplastics will likely not remain in the sea ice since it will melt due to global warming. The effects on wildlife is unknown.
Scientists, however, know that microplastics can be consumed by animals who feed on the waterways and filtration systems. The microbeads are then circulated through the food chain.
Consumers should also be aware of the presence of microplastics in many products including bottled water. In a study involving 250 bottles from nine countries, researchers from Orb Media, a journalism organization, found that there were 10 plastic particles in every liter, on average, in the bottled water.
Again, there’s no current evidence that suggest the ingestion of microplastics can cause health issues in humans as well as in animals and plants. But scientists are working toward a more comprehensive knowledge of their potential implications and impacts.
Their knowledge may well save the Pyrenees Mountains from the scourge of plastics, no matter how tiny these may be.