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Microplastics found in fresh Antarctic snow
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Black Phoenix:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61739159


--- Quote ---Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand collected samples from 19 sites in Antarctica and each contained tiny plastic fragments.

Microplastics stem from the erosion of plastic materials and are smaller than a grain of rice - sometimes even invisible to the naked eye.
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---"The most likely source of these airborne microplastics is local scientific research stations," researcher Alex Aves wrote in the journal, Cryosphere.

"However, modelling shows their origin could have been up to 6,000km (3,700 miles) away."
--- End quote ---


--- Quote ---"Microplastics can have harmful substances stuck on to their surfaces such as heavy metals, algae," says Laura Revell, associate professor at Canterbury University, who was also involved in the research.

"So they can provide a way in which harmful species can make it into some remote and sensitive areas, that otherwise wouldn't get there."

Experts also say humans inhale and ingest microplastics via air, water and food.

Not much research has been done on their impact on human health, but one study by the Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull last year found that high levels of ingested microplastics in the human body have the potential to cause harmful effects, including cell death and allergic reactions.
--- End quote ---
Stray Electron:
  Sorry but that is OLD news. Pollutants have been found in every corner of the planet including in the oceans, on the land and in the snows of the Arctic and Antarctic.
MikeK:
The good news is that I'll be dead before the shit REALLY hits the fan.
Gyro:
So much better than the younger generations who will just wish they were!
MikeK:
Yeah, probably in a few generations.  But if humanity survives I should think it will be better for it (long term, though)...having learned hard lessons and becoming better stewards of the planet.
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