Car tires are the main source of nanoplastik pollution in the High Alps – a group of scientists established. The analysis of the collected samples also showed the presence of polystyrene as well as polyethylene. The experiment is an element of a broader study aimed at estimating the scale of nanoplastik pollution in the world.
In recent years, many alarming research has appeared with millions of tons of microplastics present in our environment. Mikroplastik are molecules of plastics with a diameter of less than 5 millimeters, which arise, among others, in the production of credit cards, toys, electronics and packaging. Their presence particularly threatens the organisms living in the seas and oceans, because the microplastic is eaten by animals living there, which causes it to get deep into the food chain.
Nanoplastik
Slightly less publicized, but equally serious is the problem of nanoplastik contamination, i.e. microscopic molecules with a diameter of less than one microns (human hair has a diameter of about 70-100 microns). Due to their small size, pieces of nanoplastics can penetrate into human cells and remain in the human body.
Scientists and mountaineers from the Global Atmospheric Plastics Survey group decided to first examine the scale of nanoplastik pollution by taking samples from the highest mountain peaks in the world.
– We must determine this reference point so that we can come back in the next decades and see if the situation has improved or worsened – says Dr. Dusan Materiu from Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany.
Taking samples from such isolated places aims to exclude local sources of pollution, such as frequent person's presence. Thanks to this, only molecules transferred by the air are collected. The team also developed a method of collecting, which avoided contamination from mountaineering equipment and clothing, most of which are made of plastic. The first results of research conducted in the High Alps appeared in “Scientific Reports”.
Tires are the main source of pollution
The analysis of samples taken from the Alps in France, Switzerland and Italy showed the presence of nanoplastik in five out of fourteen places studied. As many as 41 percent of pollutants were pieces of car tires. Other studies have shown that during a few years of operation, tires can lose up to 4 kilograms of their mass. A significant part of it can be released into the environment in the form of microscopic particles floating in the air.
The research has also revealed the presence of polystyrene, which is the basis of many plastics, and polyethylene used to make foil, pipes or containers. Prof. Andreas Stohl from the University of Vienna, which was not part of the research team, said that the global map of Nanoplastics would open new, important routes. He added that nanoplastics are particularly disturbing to health, because, unlike most microplastics, they can penetrate the lungs and get into the bloodstream.
Since the samples were collected in the summer, some scientists believe that the test results may be inaccurate. It is influenced, among others, by the melting of snow, which can concentrate the impurities in one place or flush them.
Further peaks to be examined
The authors of the study announced more trips during which new samples will be collected. Among the places they intend to visit, there are, among others, mountain ranges in Norway, Poland, Iceland and the Mount Everest peak in the Himalayas.
Global Atmospheric Plastics Survey is not the only scientific initiative aimed at studying micro- and nanoplastik soil pollution. Among them is, among others, the mission of Spiritus, covering seven large scientific expeditions, which aims to gather samples from the most distant places in the world.
Source of the main photo: Adobe Stock