India Among Hotspots For Accumulation Microplastic Pollution

Take a long, deep breath. While you can experience clean air flowing through your nose, tiny bits of plastic from packaging and soda bottles that are often thrown here and there may be hitchhiking to the depths of our lungs.

A recent study investigated the origins of atmospheric microplastics, which are growing at an unprecedented rate of about 4% per year. And as per the report, India, Europe, Eastern Asia, the Middle East, and the United States are hotspots for terrestrial microplastic sources and accumulation. The highest concentration of microplastics, however, was calculated to be found above the oceans.

What exactly are Microplastics?

Microplastics are any kind of plastic fragments that are less than 5 mm in length. There are currently two kinds of microplastics: primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are plastic particles that are less than 5 mm in size before entering the atmosphere, such as microfibers used in clothing.

On the other side, while the majority of our discarded plastic waste is buried in landfills or incinerated, some of it ends up in the water. Since plastic does not decompose quickly, natural processes reduce it to smaller and smaller bits, resulting in secondary microplastics.

In the last few decades, the aggregation of these microplastic fragments in the atmosphere, terrestrial regions, and marine environments has introduced a new form of global pollution. Toxins released by such accumulations often poison the species that consume them, reducing the viability of ecosystem cycles.

Atmospheric Microplastics Sources

A team of scientists headed by Janice Brahney of Utah State University investigated the main sources of airborne microplastics and areas where such contamination was concentrated by integrating into situ observations of microplastic aggregation with an atmospheric transport model.

The data for this study was gathered over a 14-month period in the western United States. According to the researchers' estimates based on this data, the country produces 22,000 tonnes of microplastics per year.

Furthermore, road dust accounted for 84% of microplastics in this area, while sea spray accounted for 11% and agricultural soil dust accounted for 5%.

On a global scale, their findings revealed that the majority of countries consumed more plastic than they exported. Furthermore, these non-biodegradable polymer sources are dispersed in different habitats, where they continue to emit toxins as they move through natural cycles.

Though dust and agriculture are more common sources of microplastics in northern Africa and Eurasia, microplastics from road traffic are a major contributor in "heavily populated areas" around the world, such as India. Ocean origins of airborne plastic include the United States' West Coast, the Mediterranean, and southern Australia.

Consequences of Microplastic Pollution

Plastic particles that enter the atmosphere will remain in the atmosphere for up to 6.5 days, giving them enough time to cross international borders. This cross-continental travel has unintended effects, as regions such as Antarctica, which emits zero microplastics, receive atmospheric microplastic contamination from other countries' emissions.

Furthermore, these plastic particles have become so pervasive in our communities that they are embedded in our fields, water sources, and even the air we breathe. They are leaving a trail in every available corner, from the human bloodstream to the guts of tiny insects in Antarctica. Although there is agreement that inhaling plastic particles can be irritating to organisms' internal tissues, further research is needed to determine if plastic is more dangerous than other aerosols.