Not even the most remote part of our planet has been able to escape the latest pollution problem — microplastics. Researchers recently found the tiny plastic particles in fresh snow in Antarctica for the first time.
Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand gathered snow samples from nearly 20 sites on the frozen continent of Antarctica and found microplastics in every one of them, the BBC reported. The airborne particles likely came from local scientific research stations, the outlet noted, adding that models show the particulates may have traveled from as far as 3,700 miles away.
These fragments, which are broken down from larger pieces of plastic that are central to our everyday lives, are the newest form of pollution that has been making waves across the globe. New research shows they are found in our food, our water and our air.
In 2019, Reuters published a visualization of the amount of plastics we consume, based on the claims found in a WWF International study. According to the report, people ingest about 21 grams of plastic every month, which adds up to 20 kilograms over a lifetime.
As this data continues to pile up, scientists are looking into just how harmful these microplastics are to humans.
Hull York Medical School put out a study in December that quantified the effects of microplastics on human cells. The research looked at toxicology tests and found “reactions including cell death and allergic reactions as potential effects of ingesting or inhaling high levels of microplastics.”
The study’s lead author, Evangelos Danopoulos, said, “Our research shows that we are ingesting microplastics at the levels consistent with harmful effects on cells, which are in many cases the initiating event for health effects. However, the biggest uncertainty at the present time is how ingested microplastics are excreted from the body. This is a crucial point to understand the true level of risk.”
He added that testing needs to be adapted to get a better understanding of microplastics’ impact.
“Furthermore, our analysis of the data showed that cell viability depends on the shape of the microplastics. Irregularly shaped microplastics, which are the majority found in the environment, are more hazardous than spherical,” he said.
“So far, most toxicology studies have been testing spherical microplastics. There needs to be a shift to testing irregularly shaped ones.”
