Airborne microplastics are absorbed by plant leaves and subsequently enter the food chain through crops and herbivores, according to a new study.
What's happening?
Researchers have found that microplastics absorption by plant leaves occurs commonly in outdoor growing environments. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest that the levels of absorption "increase with atmospheric concentrations" — or the concentrations of the pollutants in the air.
Down to Earth unpacked the study, explaining that tiny pores called stomata and a protective membrane coated in wax make leaves particularly vulnerable to absorbing microplastics, which are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size.
Inside the leaf structure, the tiny particles can "move through spaces between plant cells and can also accumulate inside tiny hair-like structures, called trichomes, on the surface of leaves," Nature's summary of the research laid out. The study showed that microplastics could travel through the plant's water and nutrient transport systems to reach other tissues.
"Given that leaves are a key part of the food chain, microplastic particles that accumulate here can easily pass to herbivores and crop leaves, both of which can be directly consumed by humans," according to the summary, via Down to Earth.
Why is this concerning?
Plastics don't biodegrade well but only break down into smaller and smaller pieces — microplastics and nanoplastics — over time. These polluting particles have inundated the environment, including our water, soil, and air. Their tiny size makes them tough to find and to clean up.
Absorption from contaminated water and soil via root systems has already been documented as a pathway for plant contamination — a primary entry of microplastics into the food chain. The presence of such pollutants in the atmosphere has also been understood, but until more recently, plant leaves' absorption and accumulation of microplastics from the air had not been analyzed. This new study underscores the potential for microplastics-polluted air to contribute to contamination of plants, animals, and the humans who eat both.
A separate study published in 2024 found that microplastics were present in 90% of tested protein sources, including tofu, chicken, and beef. Other research has documented microplastics in fruits and vegetables, salt, sugar, rice, milk, and beer.
While scientists are still investigating the health impacts of microplastics exposure, it has been linked to reduced blood flow to the brain and liver fibrosis, among other concerns.
What can be done about it?
In order to reduce microplastics in our environment, it's imperative that we stop them at the source. Swapping out single-use plastics for reusable bottles and containers is one way to cut down on the plastic products floating around — or sinking, as the case may be.
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Definitely 👍 Scientists are also developing innovative and unexpected methods to help remove microplastics from the environment. One team has looked at using egg whites to rid the water of these pollutants. Other groups have investigated the potential for vegetable extracts to help with the removal process.
As related to this new study, it may be helpful to take heed of the co-authors' warning that because "the absorption and accumulation of atmospheric [microplastics] by plant leaves occur widely in the environment … this should not be neglected when assessing the exposure of humans and other organisms." More research into and attention toward the potential for microplastics in the air to infiltrate our food supply look to be warranted.
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