Again, the traces of microplastics have been found close to the top of Mount Everest.
A study showed that the microplastics likely originating from equipment used by the hundreds of climbers who summit the world’s highest peak every year.
As information, the fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters, and even frozen excrement have long littered the well-trodden route to the 8,848-meter high summit.
But in the first study of microplastics on Everest, by a research team part of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, the tiny pollutants were found as high as 8,440 meters above sea level, although concentration levels were higher at the mountain’s base camp.
The findings, which reveal the potential threat to Everest posed by plastic pollutants, were published in the environmental journal One Earth.
“The samples showed significant quantities of polyester, acrylic, nylon, and polypropylene fibers,” author Imogen Napper, a National Geographic explorer and scientist based at the University of Plymouth in Britain, said in a statement.
A majority of outdoor clothing worn by trekkers and climbers on Everest is made of synthetic fabrics. Tents, climbing ropes and other gear also use the materials.
Last year, a 14-member team spent six weeks scouring for litter at Everest base camp and at Camp 4 — nearly 8,000 meters up.
They cleared the mountain of four bodies and more than 10 tons of plastic bottles, cans, and climbing equipment.
The study also suggests it is possible that microplastics found on Everest are blown there from elsewhere in the strong Himalayan winds.
Researchers also found microplastics in streams below the famous Himalayan peak, but the concentration was lower than in snow.
