Microplastics are everywhere, in food, beverages, and even in the air. They have even been found in the clouds and may negatively impact cloud formation and climate around the world.
Microplastics are small plastic particles measuring less than 5mm. They can be found in industrial wastewater and beauty products, or they may form during the breakdown of larger plastic debris.
According to estimates from UNESCO, there are approximately 50 trillion to 75 trillion pieces of plastic debris and microplastics in the oceans, with their ultimate destination being our food and drinking water.
Microplastics (right) found in clouds pose concerning implications for human health and climate change. (Photo: Digital Vision/Sansert Sangsakawrat/Getty).
These plastic particles contain chemicals that disrupt the production of natural hormones in the human body, increasing the risk of reproductive deformities and certain cancers. The surface of these plastic particles may also harbor other toxic substances, such as heavy metals.
Given the vast number of microplastic particles in the oceans, it is no surprise that some of them evaporate into the atmosphere. However, their presence in the upper atmosphere remains largely under-researched.
In a recent study, researchers at Waseda University in Japan analyzed the condensed water in clouds on the peaks of Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama, at elevations ranging from 1,280 meters to 3,780 meters, to investigate whether these microplastics are present at such heights. The results confirmed their presence.
Microplastics were found to be highly fragmented, with a concentration ranging from 6.7 to 13.9 pieces per liter of cloud water. A total of nine types of polymer plastics and one type of rubber were identified.
Most of these microplastic particles contain molecules capable of binding with water. This indicates that they play a role in cloud formation, acting as seeds around which water vapor can condense.
Scientifically, this is referred to as cloud condensation nuclei, and their presence may influence weather patterns worldwide.
Professor Hiroshi Okochi, the lead researcher, stated that microplastics in the free atmosphere are transported everywhere and contribute to global pollution.
If the issue of air pollution from plastics is not proactively addressed, the risks associated with climate change and ecological disruption could very well become a reality, leading to serious and irreversible environmental damage in the future.
This discovery further supports previous research findings indicating the presence of microplastics in rainwater. For example, a study conducted in 2020 by Utah State University in the United States reported that over 1,000 tons of plastic particles are released annually into protected areas in the southern and midwestern United States.
Microplastics in the air not only affect cloud formation but also play a negative role in the global warming crisis by absorbing, emitting, or accumulating sunlight.
This radiation may also accelerate the degradation of plastic particles, releasing additional greenhouse gases during the breakdown process.
Professor Okochi remarked, “Microplastics in the air decompose much faster at higher atmospheric layers compared to on the ground due to the high levels of ultraviolet radiation at altitude, and this decomposition releases greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming.”
The findings of this study could be utilized to calculate the impact of microplastics in the air for future global warming scenarios.”
