So far, tiny particles of plastic have been discovered from the top of Mount Everest to the depths of the ocean.
But now, for the first time, scientists have confirmed the presence of plastic particles even in clouds, where they can affect the weather in different ways.
This revelation was revealed in a study conducted in Japan.
For the research, published in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters, experts went to the peaks of Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama to collect water samples from the fog.
These samples were then analyzed using advanced imaging techniques.
The research team discovered nine different types of polymers and one type of rubber plastic particles in the samples.
The study found that there were 6.7 to 13.9 plastic particles in every liter of cloud water.
The researchers said that if the problem of plastic pollution is not immediately curbed, climate change and environmental hazards may become a reality, resulting in irreversible environmental damage in the future.
He said that when plastic particles reach the atmosphere and are exposed to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, it increases greenhouse gases.
It is not yet clear how these tiny particles of plastic reach remote areas of the world from Uttar Pradesh as there is not much research done in this regard.
However, Japanese scientists said that this is the first time to prove that airborne plastic particles have reached the cloud water.
He added that it has been proved earlier that humans and animals are also ingesting these particles and they reach the lungs, blood, heart and other parts.
He said that there are millions of plastic particles in the ocean which somehow reach the atmosphere from there and current research indicates that these particles have become an integral part of the clouds, from which all food and drink can be rained. It causes pollution.
It’s not yet clear what the effects of tiny plastic particles can be in the body, but the new findings indicate just how big a problem plastic particles are.