Researchers from the University of Strathclyde have found microplastics in a remote region of the Pyrenees mountain range.
A scientific study collected samples over a five-month period from a secluded area of the mountains, which form a natural border between France and Spain.
The study revealed that samples from two separate monitoring devices were analysed to identify whether the tiny plastic pieces were present in the largely inaccessible mountain area.
Despite the remote location, researchers recorded average daily counts of 365 deposits per square metre of the material.
It isn’t yet known the extend of the distance that microplastics can travel, but the research also reveals that the analysis of air trajectory shows fragments are travelling through the atmosphere over distances of at least almost 60 miles.
Joint lead researcher Steve Allen, said: “It’s astounding and worrying that so many particles were found in the Pyrenees field site.”
“What we can unequivocally prove is that it’s being transported there by the wind. It opens up the possibility that it’s not only in the cities are you breathing this in, but it can travel quite some distance from the sources.”
“Plastic litter is an increasing global issue and one of the key environmental challenges we face on a global scale.”
Dr Gael Le Roux, from Toulouse-based EcoLab, who helped with the study, said: “This mountainous area has been the subject of numerous interdisciplinary studies in ecology and environment over the past decade but we would still never have anticipated that this latest study would reveal such high levels of microplastics deposits.”
