Devastating! Microplastics Found In Snow Samples Collected From Areas Close To The Top Of Everest
Microplastics have been discovered in snow and stream water close to the summit of Mount Everest. The tiny plastic fibres were found within a few hundred metres of the top of the 8,850-metre mountain, at a spot known as the balcony.
The pristine peak of Mount Everest is now littered with everything from oxygen cannisters, dead bodies to now microplastics!
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Scientists studying plastic pollution on Mount Everest have discovered microplastics as high as 8,440 metres up the mountain, just 400 metres below the peak.
"It really surprised me to find microplastics in every single snow sample I analysed," said study lead author Imogen Napper, a National Geographic explorer and marine scientist from the University of Plymouth in the U.K. "Mount Everest is somewhere I have always considered remote and pristine."
Also Read: Bottle-Fed Babies Swallow Millions Of Microplastics In A Day, Reveals Study
Some were present in samples from the Balcony of Mount Everest representing the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth.
¡°With microplastics so ubiquitous in our environment, it¡¯s time to focus on appropriate environmental solutions,¡± she said. ¡°We need to protect and care for our planet.¡±
Many microplastics are shed from clothing made from synthetic fabrics, and she said a focus on better fabrics was needed, as well as using natural fibres such as cotton when possible.
Our new paper has identified the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth, near the top of Mt. Everest! ???
¡ª Dr Imogen Napper (@Imogennapper) November 20, 2020
Microplastics were identified in every snow sample, with up to 70 microplastic pieces per litre ??
Find out more ?: https://t.co/77OlebAc65 pic.twitter.com/hPDhRVkMql
The study, published in the journal One Earth, was led by researchers from the University of Plymouth, working with colleagues from the UK, US and Nepal.
According to reports, it is also possible the plastics could have been transported from lower altitudes by the extreme winds that regularly impact the mountain's higher slopes.
Also Read: Researchers Have Found Microplastics In Every Human Tissue They Studied
Image For Representation/Mount Everest Facebook
The highest quantities - 79 microplastic fibres per litre of snow - were found at Base Camp, where expeditions are based for periods of up to 40 days
However, evidence was also found at Camps 1 and 2 on the climbing route, with 12 microplastic fibres per litre of snow recorded from the Balcony.
Also Read: In Highest Level Ever Recorded, 1.9 Million Pieces Of Microplastic Found Crowding The Seafloor!
In marine life as well as in birds, microplastics have been shown to block digestive tracts, which can in turn stunt development or in worst cases lead to starvation.
People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known, reports The Guardian.
