120 Million Plastic Bottles Worth of Microplastics Rain Down on 11 US Protected Areas Per Year

Recent discoveries have found that large amounts of microplastics are coming down from the sky with rain. Researchers in the Western US were able to estimate the amount of microplastics in rainfall and found that approximately 120 million plastic bottles worth of microplastics in rain is pouring down on 11 protected areas in the US every year. Although the health detriments involved with inhaling or consuming microplastics is relatively unknown, the human impacts are likely highly detrimental. Plastics degrade into smaller and smaller pieces over time and release chemicals, making it likely that they will have consequential human and ecological impacts. Studies have already shown that some marine organisms, such as hermit crabs, have had large behavioral changes due to increasing microplastic exposure in the ocean. Read More
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