Researchers Tested Rainwater Collected From Rocky Mountains- Left Dumbfounded on Finding Microplastics

Millions of years ago, monstrous quantities of fiery molten magma churning in Earth’s interiors started pushing some rocks upwards, leading to the formation of Rocky Mountains, a.k.a. Rockies. Jutting upwards and stretching over 3,000 miles, Rockies appear blue-grayish as light waves scatter around the atmosphere. While a shallow veneer of marine deposits carpets the crust of this rugged massif, chalky flakes of limestone, shale, gypsum, gold, and sandstone imbue elements of powdery shimmer.

The surrounding grasslands, subalpine meadows, and groves of pine trees are occupied by wild creatures like bighorn sheep, mountain goats, mountain lions, elk, reindeer, and grizzly bears, who often feel the violent and gusty Chinook winds swooping over their heads as they roam and play. There are also slinging U-shaped valleys that were formed by glaciated rivers and streams that also carved its steep canyons. However, lurking within the barrel of this sublime beauty, are invisible tufts of plastic. “It’s raining plastic,” researchers titled a 2019 study.

Gregory Weatherbee, lead US Geologic Survey researcher, was collecting some rainwater samples from the Rockies to study nitrogen pollution, The Guardian reported. Back in the laboratory, when he analyzed the samples, he was more than just shocked. Instead of just soil blended with minerals, he saw plastic. It was not soda bottles, candy wrappers, or old art supplies. Rather, he discovered zillions of flecks of multi-colored microplastics in blues, reds, silvers, purples, greens, and yellows. There were also shards and beads of plastic material.

“I think the most important result that we can share with the American public is that there’s more plastic out there than meets the eye,” Wetherbee told The Guardian. “It’s in the rain, it’s in the snow. It’s a part of our environment now.” The rainwater samples were collected across Colorado and were analyzed with a binocular microscope fitted with a digital camera. The microscopic sight revealed a rainbow of shredded plastic fibers floating inside the mountain’s rainwater. The shocking discovery reminded Wetherbee of a previous study that showed the existence of substantial amounts of plastic waste on a remote catchment in the French Pyrenees mountains. The study suggested that microplastic particles could travel in the winds for hundreds if not thousands of kilometers.

Sherri Mason, a microplastics researcher and sustainability coordinator at Penn State Behrend, shared with The Guardian, that more than 90% of the plastic waste is not recycled and hence, it turns out to become a major contributor to environmental trash. Piled up in landfills and dumpsters, the plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller fibers, eventually becoming invisible to the naked eye. “Plastic fibers also break off your clothes every time you wash them,” Mason said.

The researcher explained that it is almost impossible to trace the source of plastic fibers. Nearly anything made of plastic could be shedding particles and spewing them out, freeloading the atmosphere. Once accumulated in the atmosphere, these particles get incorporated into the water droplets when it rains. Once it rains, the particles get washed away into rivers, lakes, bays, oceans, and even groundwater springs. In the case of the Rockies, researchers noted that it is still unclear how these plastic materials accumulated there.

Today, plastics are everywhere. Unbeknownst to the grim reality, humans are eating plastic and breathing plastic. Animals like polar bears and sea turtles are accidentally ingesting plastics. While some plastics, like those in furniture and carpets, contain toxic flame retardants, others can latch onto heavy metals and produce toxic bacteria. But to find this hazardous substance in a natural formation like the Rockies is a warning sign. The unanticipated and opportune results of this study call for humans to take drastic measures to dramatically to reduce their dependence on plastic.