Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural areas in greater quantities than in cities, researchers say.
Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural areas in greater quantities than in cities, researchers say.
The study, led by the University of Leeds, detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study – almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre.
Researchers believe trees and other vegetation capture airborne microplastic particles from the atmosphere and deposit them, highlighting the impact that different landscape and weather conditions have on the spread of the particles.
And they say that these unexpected results challenge the assumption that microplastic pollution is mainly an urban problem.
Read More: University of Leeds
Image: Wytham Woods, a 1,000-acre site of Special Scientific Interest in Oxfordshire, where microplastics were detected in greater numbers than in urban areas (Credit: University of Oxford)
