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Microplastics Are Blowing In the Wind (scientificamerican.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Scientists have detected tiny pieces of plastic falling out of the air like artificial dust. A first-of-its-kind study finds these particles have blown in on the wind from at least 100 kilometers away and likely much farther. This is a clear indication that atmospheric transport is yet another way plastic pollution is being distributed around the planet, even to remote areas. "And it suggests that this is a far bigger problem than we have currently thought about," says study co-author Deonie Allen, of the Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT).
The study, published Monday in Nature Geoscience, is one of only a handful that have attempted to measure how much plastic is falling from the atmosphere. It marks the first wave in what is likely to be a flood of such studies in the coming years, in an effort to fill in the picture of how microplastics move around the environment and how humans might be exposed to them. Allen and her colleagues knew microplastics had been found in rivers and sediments in the French Pyrenees, but no one had determined the sources. The bulk could not have come from local sources because of the small human population and limited industrial activity, so Allen was struck by a key question: "Why haven't we looked up?" That is what she and her colleagues did, taking advantage of atmospheric measuring equipment already in place in the Pyrenees and sampling over five months. They found plastic fibers, films and shards, all in a range of sizes. Most of the polymers that turned up in the samples were polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene, which are all common in single-use plastic products such as bags and foam food containers. The study used computer models of atmospheric currents to attempt to backtrace the air that brought the microplastics in the Pyrenees, which is considered a pristine environment. It was clear that the relatively small towns and villages nearby "were unlikely to account for all of the plastic they detected, which suggests the ultimate sources are more distant," reports Scientific American.
The study, published Monday in Nature Geoscience, is one of only a handful that have attempted to measure how much plastic is falling from the atmosphere. It marks the first wave in what is likely to be a flood of such studies in the coming years, in an effort to fill in the picture of how microplastics move around the environment and how humans might be exposed to them. Allen and her colleagues knew microplastics had been found in rivers and sediments in the French Pyrenees, but no one had determined the sources. The bulk could not have come from local sources because of the small human population and limited industrial activity, so Allen was struck by a key question: "Why haven't we looked up?" That is what she and her colleagues did, taking advantage of atmospheric measuring equipment already in place in the Pyrenees and sampling over five months. They found plastic fibers, films and shards, all in a range of sizes. Most of the polymers that turned up in the samples were polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene, which are all common in single-use plastic products such as bags and foam food containers. The study used computer models of atmospheric currents to attempt to backtrace the air that brought the microplastics in the Pyrenees, which is considered a pristine environment. It was clear that the relatively small towns and villages nearby "were unlikely to account for all of the plastic they detected, which suggests the ultimate sources are more distant," reports Scientific American.
There will be life here after we are gone, along the way, people will be miserable.
https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
We can't just confront, admit the scale and scope of actual problems and talk about solutions without a strong denialist bullshit wave, right? This is our way.
No, not really. At some point the vast bulk of this will get traced to Asia and you'll quietly put away your pitchfork because you can't pin it on 'Murica.
That's why nothing concrete is being done about oceanic plastic beyond some farcical skimming toys; China is the source of 90% of it but you're so wrapped up in "imperialist" shame you can't suffer even the thought of actually doing anything about it.
So no. Fuck you and your self righteous bullshit.
Asia.
For manufacturing all the plastic crap that America consumes?
No sig today...
China has banned plastic bags. https://www.google.com/search?...
Most of Africa has banned plastic bags. (4 years jail in Kenya!)
The USA? What plastics has the USA banned?
No sig today...
China has banned plastic bags. https://www.google.com/search?...
Most of Africa has banned plastic bags. (4 years jail in Kenya!)
The USA? What plastics has the USA banned?
The conservatives in the USA are still waiting for the ROW to do something about the problem before they will consent to consider doing anything themselves. You cannot just ask the wealthiest nation on earth to lead by example now can you? That would be .... Bwaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! UNFAIR!!! ....to quote their current president.
Except there is a world economy built on that model. Heck this post alone is using millions of miles of electrified infrastructure and I am sure most of it isn’t powered by clean energy. I say this not to guilt you, but point out the environmental problems are not easily fixed with a quick legislation or public outcry. There is demand for such products alternatives will need to be made and economies need to be altered.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I live in Northern Europe, and we regularly get wind blown sand from the Sahara, 3000 km away. I expect lightweight microplastics to be carried much further.
Some cities in the US have tried to. Luckily, there are wrinkly folks in the media to let them know why their city can't ban plastic trash:
(1) The plastic ban was written by out-of-towners trying to impose their will on us.
(2) We can't have city ordinances that make any kind of reference to a state law. (It's not really explained what the legal or logical basis for this is.)
(3) Weighing in at a massive 10 pages, the law is so lengthy and complex that you'd need to "hire a full-time attorney" to comprehend it.
(4) The city will need to hire full-time straw inspectors.
(5) It's too much of a burden for stores to stock paper bags instead of plastic.
(6) People who receive food stamps will still be allowed to use plastic bags - an "entire class of citizens" would be free from having to comply!
In his closing paragraph, he makes sure to tell us he "expects the City Council to pick up the trash".
This does appear to be a legitimate news site, and not The Onion.
You don't need to innovate to get biodegradable straws. Straws predate plastics. There's a hint in the name what material was used before plastics.
No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.
--Sheikh Abd-Al-Kadir, 1587
Your 100km radius wind is blowing from Asia? Have you ever seen a map?
Considering we can track particulate fallout from China ever-belching industrial cities ending up in Southern Ontario, which is far more then 100km(much closer to 6700km) away, yes. You do understand how the jet stream and upper-level winds work don't you?
Om, nomnomnom...
Considering that the Pyrenees are located between France and Spain, both of which do have a plastic pollution problem, France and Spain seem much likelier sources for this particular case of microplastic pollution.
But it would be nice to have a similar study done on microplastic pollution in the Himalaya, to compare to the Pyrenees.
IMO (from my own travel and from talking to other people who noticed plastics pollution and travelled to the same places as me), this also is a cultural issue: People in France or Spain seem to be littering more than in Germany. People in Japan litter less than those in Germany. People in the British Isles, China and Saudi Arabia litter more than those in France. Different people have different attitude on how much effort they'd put into keeping the environment clean. A French guy I met in Japan found it quite noticeable that there is far more litter in French parks, even when there are plenty of bins people could use than in Japanese parks without bins.
Are you sure?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
No sig today...
For manufacturing all the plastic crap that America consumes?
For consuming their own share of plastic crap. Hint: the world doesn't consist of "people" in the West and "poor almost-humans who need our help" in the East.
Anyway, plastic in the environment isn't a problem with making things out of plastic, but one of littering. Plastic waste doesn't magically escape from landfills.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
Those are made of chocolate, not plastic. The US doesn't allow non-food objects inside of packaged food.
Conservatives are some of the most supportive of real, sustainable conservation of the worlds ecosystems. Conservatives are hunters, fishers, and wildlife enthusiasts and actively donate to, and advocate for preservation of ecosystems. What Conservatives don't do is jump at every headline or misstep.
Conservatives necessarily recognize the connections between nature and human survival because Conservatives are dependent upon that. As an example: Conservatives are smart enough to create programs for hunting that involves the taking (killing) of animals while actually strengthening the population of that species in it's environment while the "save EVERY animal" approach of the Liberals results in overpopulation, famine, and ultimately a decimated population of sick animals.
What conservatives don't do is "1 step thinking" like Liberals. Liberals: People are starving: Feed them. Conservatives: People are starving: teach them how to feed themselves. Liberals: Deer are sick and populations are down: Disallow all hunting of deer. Conservatives: Deer are sick and populations are down: Evaluate WHY deer populations are down and take a corrective action, which may include actually hunting more deer, releasing wolfs, etc. Liberals: Gay people have received some criticism: Force people to attend "everyone is a little gay classes". Conservatives: Gay people have received some criticism: Lets not make a mountain out of a mole hill, every type of people, including conservatives, get criticized. See how well Liberal policies work at achieving the intended goal? Not well. While Conservative approaches to wildlife management have been wildly successful.
Solution = Stop making/discarding that crap.
It's not complicated.
Except it is more likely that the real source of these airborne plastics are clothing and carpet fibers rather than single use plastic bags or other sheet plastics. Thin fibers are much more likely to wear off and become airborne. As you can see plainly in a carpeted room when sunlight light streams through a window or when you shake out your threadbare clothing that is falling apart.
So, maybe if we stop making synthetic carpets and using synthetic fibers in clothing... but how would that effect the global demand? And really if these things are a health hazzard, then indoor air quality is where we need to look next.
Literally you could be saying it is simple that we just need some percentage of the world to go naked and have cold feet on slippery floors rather than merely choosing a different kind of bag... so it makes a big difference what is actually happening.
I wonder if this sort of thing could be part of the collapse of insect populations in otherwise pristine environments. Vertebrates could probably clear most of this via mucus but arthropods aspirate differently.
Non-EVs have just as much plastic. Lightweighting is a thing you do no matter what your car is made out of, because it improves mileage.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I had the misfortune of my first ever experience eating a paper straw along with my iced tea at dinner last night. Talk about disgusting... all I could taste was the paper.
And you preferred eating plastic straws because they didn't taste like anything? Maybe you should just try not eating straws. They're not a garnish.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
No, they're burning plastic in Siberia. That's what he's vaguely alluding to. That's what is going to be discovered to be the primary cause of airborne plastic particles, some years from now after it's already too late to save the liver of everything left alive on the planet still that doesn't photosynthesize.