‘High levels’ of atmospheric microplastics found near busy trunk road
2 years, 9 months ago

‘High levels’ of atmospheric microplastics found near busy trunk road

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “High levels” of atmospheric microplastics have been found by scientists during a year-long study at a site close to a busy northern trunk road. Lauren Jenner They found that around 3,000 microplastics particles dropped out of the air over 24 hours, compared to an average of 1,400 microplastics particles detected in a household study last year. “It is vital we now investigate outdoor environments in which humans are regularly exposed to in order to find out the levels of exposure and the types of microplastics present.” She added: “Inhalation of microplastics is an emerging cause for concern because we know from recent studies that they have been observed in human lung tissue samples. “These findings can now form part of future work to help determine any health impacts, allowing us to now use representative types and realistic exposure levels of such microplastics in further cell studies.”

Microplastics Levels Climate Email High Levels  atmospheric  studies  trunk  microplastics  york  particles  levels  degraded  high  study  climate  email  busy  road  near  hull

History of this topic

Study links microplastics from vehicle tyres leading to lung and colon cancer
2 days, 12 hours ago

Study links microplastics from vehicle tyres leading to lung and colon cancer

India Today  

Microplastics have dominated our space and how. Tiny plastic particles, shed from tyres and degrading plastic waste, are becoming a significant air pollution concern and may be linked to serious health risks, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, reviewed around 3,000 research papers …

From oceans to organs: The growing danger of microplastics revealed
4 days, 12 hours ago

From oceans to organs: The growing danger of microplastics revealed

India Today  

A new review published in the journal Science has sounded the alarm on the rising dangers of microplastics, two decades after the term was first introduced. The study offers an in-depth look at the sources of microplastics, their widespread presence, and their troubling impacts on ecosystems and human health. Primary microplastics are manufactured for specific uses, such as in cosmetics …

Microplastics in our organs could be tied to disease, Chinese researchers say
1 week, 2 days ago

Microplastics in our organs could be tied to disease, Chinese researchers say

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Microplastics that have been found in human organs have “alarming links” to adverse health impacts, …

Doctors being trained to tackle health issues due to excessive microplastic use
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Doctors being trained to tackle health issues due to excessive microplastic use

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: The Union government has started training clinical researchers and other experts in identifying and managing health conditions arising out of excessive use of microplastics. This project is to answer those questions and initiate that kind of research.” He added, “there are not enough researchers in India, for a country which has a huge amount of human population that …

Plastic production to hit 1.1 billion tons by 2050: Study raises alarm on health risks from microplastics
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Plastic production to hit 1.1 billion tons by 2050: Study raises alarm on health risks from microplastics

Hindustan Times  

Tiny plastic particles may be lurking in the air we breathe, and experts are raising alarms about their potential health risks. Rising plastic pollution and its health risks After analysing 3,000 studies, researchers from UC San Francisco suspect that microplastics may negatively impact reproductive, digestive, and respiratory health, possibly linking them to colon and lung cancer. "Microplastics are essentially particulate …

Forever and ever?: A timeline of how microplastics got everywhere
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Forever and ever?: A timeline of how microplastics got everywhere

Hindustan Times  

1907: In Belgium, an inventive chemist named Leo Baekeland combines the fossil-fuel derivatives phenol and formaldehyde to produce a hard, mouldable substance that will change the course of manufacturing. EEA estimates, at the time, that 2 lakh to 5 lakh tonnes of microplastics from textiles are entering the global marine environment each year. 2019: A study published in the journal …

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure
1 month ago

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure

CNN  

Editor’s note: The podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life’s mysteries big and small. “We think of the crinkly polyvinyl chloride plastic that we’re so used to in food packaging, as coming that way just on its own, but phthalates are added to polyvinyl chloride to make it softer.” The additives that …

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure
1 month ago

Microplastics are everywhere. 5 tips to cut your exposure

CNN  

Editor’s note: The podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life’s mysteries big and small. “We think of the crinkly polyvinyl chloride plastic that we’re so used to in food packaging, as coming that way just on its own, but phthalates are added to polyvinyl chloride to make it softer.” The additives that …

Urgent call for research into microplastic pollution from car tyres
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Urgent call for research into microplastic pollution from car tyres

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists have made an urgent call for research to establish the risks to health and …

Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate

The Hindu  

Clouds form when water vapor – an invisible gas in the atmosphere – sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. In a newly published study, we show that microplastic particles can have the same effects, producing ice crystals at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer than droplets without microplastics. …

Microplastics Could Be Making the Weather Worse
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Microplastics Could Be Making the Weather Worse

Wired  

THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Clouds form when water vapor—an invisible gas in the atmosphere—sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. In a newly published study, we show that microplastic particles can have the same effects, producing ice crystals at temperatures 5 to …

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action

New Indian Express  

The widespread use of plastics has led to severe environmental contamination, with microplastics now infiltrating vital human organs, including the brain. A growing body of evidence reveals that these tiny plastic particles—less than 5 millimeters in size—are accumulating in the air, water, food, and even within human tissues. In a recent study, soon to be peer-reviewed and published by the …

Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?
5 months ago

Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Dr. Marya Zlatnik, a San …

What can microplastics do to the human body? | In Focus podcast
9 months, 2 weeks ago

What can microplastics do to the human body? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

It’s hard to imagine a world without plastic now – plastic exists in almost every sphere of our life. Microplastics, the tiny toxic particles that plastics shed and that are scattered across the environment have been found everywhere – from clouds, to the bottom of the ocean, in Antarctica and even in our bodies – we swallow them and we …

Sludge compost is an increasing source of microplastics, researchers say
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Sludge compost is an increasing source of microplastics, researchers say

LA Times  

A team of UCLA researchers has put a new spin on the 1970s rock classic “Dust in the Wind” — only this one is grimmer and grimier than the original hit by Kansas. “If you blow wind on soil with microplastics, you’d expect a similar amount of soil and microplastic to be present in the dust,” said Sanjay Mohanty, a …

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure?
1 year ago

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure?

BBC  

Microplastics are everywhere: Is it possible to reduce our exposure? Getty Images Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of nanoplastic fragments in every litre, according to a new study A new study has found that bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of nanoplastics. The average litre of bottled water contains almost a quarter of a million nanoplastic fragments, according …

Microplastic menace in Antarctica: UN to analyse penguin droppings, water
1 year ago

Microplastic menace in Antarctica: UN to analyse penguin droppings, water

India Today  

Scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Argentine Antarctic Institute have embarked on an expedition to Antarctica to investigate the extent of microplastic pollution in this remote region. Utilizing nuclear science techniques, the team aims to analyse samples from the icy waters, seabed sediment, and even penguin droppings to gain insights into the presence and origins of these …

Microplastics found in clouds over mountains in China could impact Earth's weather, study reveals
1 year, 1 month ago

Microplastics found in clouds over mountains in China could impact Earth's weather, study reveals

Daily Mail  

Microplastics are nearly everywhere - on remote beaches, in seafood, atop pristine mountains, in the bodies of newborn babies and now in clouds over China. A team from the nation identified tiny particles in clouds above the World Heritage site Mount Tai, and speculate the microplastics could affect Earth's weather. The microplastics found atop Mount Tai came in many shapes: …

Clouds now contain plastic, risking contamination of ‘everything we eat and drink’
1 year, 3 months ago

Clouds now contain plastic, risking contamination of ‘everything we eat and drink’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “If the issue of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a …

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds
1 year, 3 months ago

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds

The Hindu  

Researchers in Japan have confirmed microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that aren't yet fully understood. In a study published in Environmental Chemistry Letters, scientists climbed Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama in order to collect water from the mists that shroud their peaks, then applied advanced imaging techniques to the samples to …

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds
1 year, 3 months ago

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds

Al Jazeera  

Japanese scientists have found between 6.7 and 13.9 pieces of microplastic in each litre of cloud water tested. “If the issue of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future,” lead author of the research, Hiroshi Okochi of Waseda University, warned in a …

Study finds how oceans release microplastics into atmosphere
1 year, 4 months ago

Study finds how oceans release microplastics into atmosphere

Hindustan Times  

Oldenburg, August 20 : Microplastic waste can be discovered in the marine environment even at far-off places in the world. According to research led by Dr Barbara Scholz-Bottcher of the University of Oldenburg, these tiny particles originate on land but are also released back into the atmosphere by the sea. "With our study, we present data on the mass load …

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate
1 year, 10 months ago

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate

Wired  

If you throw a polyester sweatshirt in the washing machine, it doesn’t emerge as quite its former self. An international team of researchers calculates that between 82 and 358 trillion plastic particles—a collective 2.4 to 10.8 billion pounds—are floating across the world … and that’s only in the top foot of seawater. “We're talking about quintillions, probably, that's out there, …

What is plastic rain? All you need to know
2 years ago

What is plastic rain? All you need to know

India Today  

The detrimental effects of a plastic mist or rain of microplastics on the human body are a reality, not the subject of research or hypothesis. According to a study done by a group of experts from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, every square metre of urban rooftops in Auckland receives an average of 5,000 pieces of microplastic every …

Health Hazard: Researchers Provide First Evidence of Microplastics in Varanasi Air
2 years, 6 months ago

Health Hazard: Researchers Provide First Evidence of Microplastics in Varanasi Air

News 18  

It is not just the toxic particulate matter, but over 1.1 lakh residents of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh might also be breathing in significant amount of microplastics widely present in the city air. The researchers led by Dipika Pandey and Tirthankar Banerjee from BHU set out to identify and quantify these microplastics in the air, and found it in every …

Microplastics discovered in fresh Antarctic snow for first time
2 years, 7 months ago

Microplastics discovered in fresh Antarctic snow for first time

The Hindu  

Scientists have found microplastics — plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice — in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time, which they said has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of ice. "It is incredibly sad but finding microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow highlights the extent of plastic pollution in even the most …

Scientists now detect microplastics in lungs after cosmetics, blood
2 years, 9 months ago

Scientists now detect microplastics in lungs after cosmetics, blood

India TV News  

Highlights A team of scientists have for the first time discovered microplastics in live human lungs This finding indicates that we are inhaling the dangerous substances without knowledge It can have a major impact on our respiratory health A team of scientists have for the first time discovered microplastics in live human lungs, a finding that indicates we are inhaling …

Scientists discover microplastic stuck deep inside lungs of living people
2 years, 9 months ago

Scientists discover microplastic stuck deep inside lungs of living people

India Today  

Scientists have for the first time discovered microplastics stuck in the lungs of living people in a major study indicating that we are inhaling these dangerous substances without even knowing. A team of scientists from Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull found 39 microplastics in 11 of the 13 lung tissue samples tested, higher than any previous …

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says
2 years, 11 months ago

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At least 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastics cover Switzerland every year, from the remote Alps to …

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains
3 years ago

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains

India Today  

From polluting the depths of the Mariana Trench to the top of Mount Everest, microplastics have now infiltrated the clean air as well. A team of researchers have found these plastic particles invading the air surrounding Pic du Midi at an altitude of 2,877 meter in the French Pyrenees. Researchers found microplastic concentration of approximately one particle per four cubic …

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air
3 years ago

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air

News 18  

From Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, microplastics are everywhere – even high in the Earth’s troposphere where wind speeds allow them to travel vast distances, a study showed Tuesday. Scientists from the French national research institute CNRS sampled air 2,877 meters above sea level at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, a so-called “clean station” because …

Opinion: Microplastics are getting into our bodies. We need to understand what that means
3 years, 5 months ago

Opinion: Microplastics are getting into our bodies. We need to understand what that means

LA Times  

Nobody wants to snack on plastic bags or soda rings, but according to a 2019 study from the University of Newcastle, we could be consuming roughly a credit card’s worth of plastic every week. “We started to realize that we have exposure that’s much greater than just a fish at the grocery store,” said Dr. Chelsea Rochman, a University of …

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study

Firstpost  

The amount of microplastic polluting the atmosphere is alarming, as per the study, and circulating everywhere including the oceans. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study states that microplastics may be suspended in the air and have patterns of distribution similar to biogeochemical cycles like water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur cycles, which …

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s from what we’ve already dumped into the environment over several decades.” “Under the right conditions, plastics can be …

Roads produce 84 PER CENT of plastic dust in the atmosphere
3 years, 8 months ago

Roads produce 84 PER CENT of plastic dust in the atmosphere

Daily Mail  

Roads and the vehicles using them are responsible for 84 per cent of microplastics found in the atmosphere, according to the results of a new study. Researchers from Utah State University examined different sources of atmospheric microplastic pollution found in the western US over a 14 month period. The US team found that 84 per cent of microplastics in the …

New Pollution Threat? Russian Scientists are Collecting Samples of Snow Containing Microplastics
3 years, 9 months ago

New Pollution Threat? Russian Scientists are Collecting Samples of Snow Containing Microplastics

News 18  

Russian scientists are trying to understand the scale of a potential threat to the environment in Siberia: snow polluted with microplastics that then melts and seeps into the ground. Scientists at Tomsk State University say they have gathered snow samples from 20 different Siberian regions – from the Altai mountains to the Arctic – and that their preliminary findings confirm …

Sydney beaches and rivers contain high levels of microplastics, scientists find
3 years, 10 months ago

Sydney beaches and rivers contain high levels of microplastics, scientists find

ABC  

Kilos of tiny particles of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres are being found across Sydney's beaches and rivers, highlighting the scale of the threat to local marine life and the risk to human health, scientists say. Key points: Researchers say hotspots in Sydney include Dee Why, Botany Bay, Cooks River, Chipping Norton and Liverpool The highest in Sydney was at …

Microplastic Pollution Found in the Snow Near the Top of Mount Everest, Says Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Microplastic Pollution Found in the Snow Near the Top of Mount Everest, Says Study

News 18  

Traces of microplastics have been found close to the top of Mount Everest, a study showed Friday, likely originating from equipment used by the hundreds of climbers who summit the world’s highest peak every year. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even frozen excrement have long littered the well-trodden route to the 8,848-metre high summit, earning it …

Researchers Find Microplastics on Top of the World at Everest
4 years, 1 month ago

Researchers Find Microplastics on Top of the World at Everest

News 18  

Traces of microplastics have been found close to the top of Mount Everest, a study showed Friday, likely originating from equipment used by the hundreds of climbers who summit the world’s highest peak every year. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even frozen excrement have long littered the well-trodden route to the 8,848-metre high summit, earning it …

Watch | All about microplastics
4 years, 2 months ago

Watch | All about microplastics

The Hindu  

The world's sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, according to Australia's national science agency CSIRO. Microplastics are divided into two categories: Primary microplastics Primary microplastics which enter the environment directly, are tiny particles designed for commercial use, as well as microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets. Examples of primary …

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study
4 years, 3 months ago

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study

News 18  

The world’s sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia’s national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study
4 years, 3 months ago

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study

The Hindu  

The world's sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia's national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

Microplastics now discoverable in human organs due to innovative technique
4 years, 4 months ago

Microplastics now discoverable in human organs due to innovative technique

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Microplastics have infiltrated every part of our world - the oceans, land, air and food …

Many human organs are vulnerable to microplastics in the environment, new study demonstrates
4 years, 4 months ago

Many human organs are vulnerable to microplastics in the environment, new study demonstrates

Firstpost  

The researchers highlight that there is still much than needs to be studied around how plastic impacts humans. A study from 2018 found that plastics can pass through the human gut, but a new study from Arizona State University researchers indicates that human tissue and organs are capable of absorbing microplastics and nanoplastics too. The researchers tested a different set …

Who's to Blame for Plastic Microfiber Pollution?
4 years, 6 months ago

Who's to Blame for Plastic Microfiber Pollution?

Wired  

Earlier this month, researchers reported a startling discovery: In 11 national parks and protected areas in the western US, 1,000 metric tons of microfibers and microplastic particles fall from the sky each year, equivalent to over 120 million plastic water bottles—and that’s in just 6 percent of the country’s land area. Its ubiquity has coincided with the rise of fast …

Where are the airborne plastics? Scientists find they are in the air we breath, the wind and the skies
4 years, 6 months ago

Where are the airborne plastics? Scientists find they are in the air we breath, the wind and the skies

Firstpost  

Plastic pollution isn’t just fouling the world’s oceans. “There’s no nook or cranny on the surface of the earth that won’t have microplastics,” said Janice Brahney, a Utah State University scientist who is lead author on the new study. But she added that the researchers seemed to be the first to ask through their research, “the basic science question: Why …

Scientists gather to study risk from microplastic pollution
4 years, 10 months ago

Scientists gather to study risk from microplastic pollution

Associated Press  

PORTLAND, Ore. — Tiny bits of broken-down plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice are turning up everywhere in oceans, from the water to the guts of fish and the poop of sea otters and giant killer whales. “We’re just starting to get a finger on the pulse.” This week, a group of five-dozen microplastics researchers from …

Car tires were found to be biggest source of microplastic pollution
5 years, 3 months ago

Car tires were found to be biggest source of microplastic pollution

CNN  

CNN — Cars may be doing more damage to our environment than we realized. According to a study from the San Francisco Bay Microplastics Project, the biggest source of microplastic pollution in California’s coastal waters may come from car tires. The study found that more than 7 trillion pieces of microplastics wash into the San Francisco Bay each year, with …

World health chiefs call for more studies on microplastics in drinking water
5 years, 4 months ago

World health chiefs call for more studies on microplastics in drinking water

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy More research into the health risks posed by rising amounts of …

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