Researchers make disturbing discovery while analyzing common farming practice

A long-term study of sewage sludge showed that microplastic contamination of the substance results in severely polluted soil — and the effects last decades.

What's happening?

After sludge, a farmland fertilizer, was used on a field in Hartwood, Scotland, microplastic levels increased by as much as 1,450%, Smart Water Magazine reported. The United Kingdom-wide experiment lasted from 1994 to 2019, with researchers applying different sludges for four years, taking soil samples every two years, and maintaining the area as grassland.

Twenty-two years after application, "the number of microplastics in the soil remained relatively unchanged." The study involved the James Hutton Institute, Robert Gordon University, and the Macaulay Development Trust.

"The persistence of microplastics in large numbers in agricultural soils over long periods of time has the potential to damage soil health," Dr. Stuart Ramage, an analytical chemist at the Hutton Institute and lead author of the study, said. "By understanding how different microplastics behave over time, we can further examine the impact of microplastic pollution in our soil environment."

Why is this important?

Ramage added that soil with microplastics creates an exposure pathway for humans who consume crops from that land.

While microplastics — pieces of synthetic materials that are smaller than 5 millimeters — come from larger plastics, they do not break down and only become smaller. They have been found in almost every environment on Earth, from the deep ocean to the highest mountains. Their presence in wildlife and humans has been linked to frightening health concerns, but research is still in the early stages.

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The magazine noted that clothing microfibers were the most common microplastic found. Those remnants and packaging microfilms degraded into smaller microplastics and nanoplastics, while microplastics from containers and bottles did not deteriorate.

Countries regulate sewage sludge, but limits are placed on heavy metals and not microplastics, according to Smart Water. So-called forever chemicals have also been found in sludge that then contaminates land, crops, and drinking water.

What's being done about microplastics in soil?

You can reduce your exposure to microplastics by eating organic products, growing your own food, and using less plastic. Organic farmers don't use sewage sludge, and a personal garden means you know what goes into the soil. Cutting out plastic — especially bottled water — can also save you money and benefit the planet by eliminating waste as well as heat-trapping gases created in the production process.

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