Holy crap.

This is so disgusting. It's like a bad dream I can't wake up from...
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Diplomats from 175 countries gathering in Paris for plastics treaty talks on Monday may want to pack an umbrella, but not just because there's a chance of rain.

France's capital will also be showered during the five-day talks by billions of microplastic particles falling from the sky, according to the first-ever plastics pollution weather forecast.

French scientists have found that most plastic particles falling across Paris' catchment area are nylon and polyester, probably from clothing. Other bits are cast off by tires, which shed them especially when vehicles brake.

Over an entire year, up to 10 metric tons of microplastic fibers settle over the Paris area, scientists estimate.

The density of "plastic fall" can increase by an order of magnitude during heavy rain.

Measurements taken by other teams have replicated these findings in half a dozen cities around the world.

Microplastics that hit the ground can still be ingested or inhaled when stirred up, for example, on a windy day.
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Plus, it's not only humans and human cities being polluted and poisoned this way...
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The equivalent of a garbage truck's worth of plastic refuse is dumped into the ocean every minute.

"Plastic particles break down into the environment and this toxic cocktail ends up in our bodies, where it does unimaginable damage to our health," said Marcus Gover, head of plastics research at the Minderoo Foundation based in Perth, Australia.

Concern over the impact of plastics on the environment and human well-being has surged in recent years along with a crescendo of research documenting its omnipresence and persistence.

In nature, multi-colored microplastics — by definition less than five millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter — have been found in ice near the North Pole and inside fish navigating the oceans' deepest, darkest recesses.

Plastic debris is estimated to kill more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year, according to the United Nations Environment Program, and filter-feeding blue whales consume up to 10 million pieces of microplastic every day.

In humans, microscopic bits of plastic have been detected in blood, breast milk, and placentas.
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Gah. It's utterly horrifying what industry has done in the name of "growth" and "progress." Yet still we carry on with Business As Usual, week after week, year after year.

FULL ARTICLE -- https://phys.org/news/2023-05-weather-cloudy-showers-plastic.html

#Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Capitalism #Plastic #Pollution