Nano Plastic pollution found at both of Earth’s poles for first time. Tiny particles including tyre dust found in ice cores stretching back 50 years, showing global plastic contamination.

Nano Plastic pollution has been detected in polar regions for the first time, indicating that the tiny particles are now pervasive around the world.

The nanoparticles are smaller and more toxic than Micro plastics, which have already been found across the globe, but the impact of both on people’s health is unknown.

Analysis of a core from Greenland’s ice cap showed that nano plastic contamination has been polluting the remote region for at least 50 years. The researchers were also surprised to find that a quarter of the particles were from vehicle tyres.

Nanoparticles are very light and are thought to be blown to Greenland on winds from cities in North America and Asia. The nano plastics found in sea ice in Mc Murdo Sound in Antarctica are likely to have been transported by ocean currents to the remote continent.

Plastics are part of the cocktail of chemical pollution that pervades the planet, which has passed the safe limit for humanity, scientists reported on Tuesday. Plastic pollution has been found from the summit of Mount Everest to the depths of the oceans. People are known to inadvertently eat and breathe microplastics and another recent study found that the particles cause damage to human cells.

Its high time we take actions to reduce the use of plastics and develop measures for eradicating nano plastic.

Source- Dusan Materic from Utrecht University