(Japanese)
(Japanese)

Fear of major danger, Japanese scientists alert(Japanese)

Tokyo. Japanese (Japanese) researchers have made a big revelation in a research that microplastics have finally found their way to the clouds. Researchers believe that this could have serious impacts on marine ecosystems and climate change. He has said that this is a big warning and strict steps will have to be taken immediately regarding plastic otherwise it will not be possible to stop it in the future. These can become a big threat to the human body and environment.

The research team, led by Waseda University professor Hiroshi Okouchi and others, examined 44 water samples collected from clouds. Analysts found that there were at least 70 particles of microplastic in the water. It was deposited from the mountains at the summit and foothills of Mount Fuji, west of Yokohama, and Mount Tanzava-Oyama in Kanagawa Prefecture. This team has written in their research paper that to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on airborne microplastics in cloud water.

Fear of serious damage to climate
Researchers have said that if their presence in clouds is not controlled through coordinated efforts, microplastics can cause serious harm to the climate and the human body. Lead author Hiroshi Okouchi of Waseda University said that if the issue of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not actively addressed, climate change and ecological risks could become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future. . When exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation at cloud heights, microplastics can contribute to greenhouse gases, he said.

What are microplastics?
Microplastics are actually plastic particles whose size is less than 5 millimeters. They are produced from a variety of sources, including industrial waste, textiles, synthetic car tires and more. These microscopic particles have been found inside fish in the deepest parts of the ocean, scattered throughout the Arctic sea ice. At the same time, snow covers the Pyrenees mountains spread between France and Spain. However, very little research has been done on microplastics and little is known about how it reaches the clouds.