Scientists estimated that 74 metric tonnes of microplastics collapse from the sky into the city of Auckland, New Zealand every year, which is equivalent or more than 3 million plastic bottles. Believe it or not, Plastic Rain is real and it's affecting our world drastically.
Scientists added up the numbers and found that about 74 metric tonnes of microplastics were found to have fallen from the sky in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2020.
The extremely small, fewer than 5 millimeter-long particles of plastic trash are called Microplastics that are found in packaging, clothes, and mostly everywhere.
The plastic mist or rain of microplastics is not a hypothesis anymore but an actual issue that our already suffering planet is facing.
Gone are the days when Plastic Rain was just a theory; now it is a reality that is raising concerns about its negative impact on the human body.
What does the data indicate?
Studies indicate that the atmospheric deposition of microplastics (MPs) in Auckland, New Zealand, from two sampling sites over a 9-week period are as follows:
In one day, in one square meter the average number of airborne plastics was 4,885 in 2020.
It was, 771 in a 2020 study in London,
It was, 275 in a 2019 study in Hamburg,
and, 110 in a 2016 study in Paris.
The number gap is large due to the fact that in the Auckland study smaller size ranges are included which were not part of previous research.
Though the term "microplastic" was coined 18 years ago, it already appears to be a major issue for humanity, as according to reports, each year, the average human consumes an estimated 74,000 particles of plastic with unknown health effects.
What Is Plastic Rain?
The 5-millimeters-long microplastics, which are extremely small bits of plastic debris falling from the sky, are called Plastic Rain.
This microplastic which falls from the sky comes from a variety of sources, including packaging, clothing, automobiles, paint, and old car tires.
The tiny plastic components are contaminating the deep-sea habitats.
They are entering the ocean through wastewater, which later ejects from the water and blows onto land in sea breezes.
Adverse Effects Of Plastic Rain
The greatest worry about plastic rain is that microplastics are being transported throughout the planet.
Isolated locations like Antarctica need to be extra careful as the microplastics were discovered in the new snowfall and have been confirmed by prior investigations.
Microplastics can cause major issues because they are found in our rainwater, food chain, and oceans, where 15 to 51 trillion particles are estimated to drift near the surface.
According to Scientists, currents are carrying microplastic particles into deep-sea ecosystems—when the currents are slow, the suspended particles fall out and settle on the seafloor which can ruin it completely.
As Plastic waste is expected to skyrocket from 260 million tons a year to 460 million tons by 2030 we need to be even more vigilant and change our consumption habits.
According to the consultancy McKinsey, more people joining the middle class in economically-developing countries means more consumerism and more plastic packaging.
The fact that plastic never really gets destroyed all we can do is reduce its usage and production.
Comments