Bits of plastic particles were recently discovered above eastern China, with new research showing that these microplastics could influence cloud formation and the weather.
A group of scientists from Shandong University in China collected cloud water atop Mount Tai, finding microplastics in 24 out of 28 samples. They include polyethylene terephthalate (otherwise known as PET), polypropylene, polyethylene and polystyrene, all particles commonly found in synthetic fibers, clothing and textiles, as well as packaging and face masks.
“This finding provides significant evidence of the presence of abundant MP’s [microplastics] in clouds,” the researchers stated in the paper published today in Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
Not to doubt that those numbers are accurate (it’s probably worse honestly), but the citation for that quote leads to a broken link on a Utah recycling site. It probably mostly goes to a landfill but they were probably saying that 30% of the total makeup of US landfills is EPS; not that only 30% of all EPS actually gets there.
The link opens for me. Here’s a screenshot.
There’s a link within that article that would presumably go to the source of those numbers at “https://recycleutah.org/what-the-styrofoam/” but it seems like that article is broken on that site.
Ah, my apologies. I misunderstood.