Plastics have been found in soil on dry soil areas of the icy continent (Image: Getty)
UK scientists investigating the global spread of potentially hazardous tiny micro and nanoplastics have worryingly found them in remote soils in Antarctica. Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) pose a growing, systemic threat to human health by infiltrating major organ systems and inducing cellular damage.
While microplastics (less than or equal to 5 mm in length) usually end up in human digestive systems, nanoplastics (less than or equal to a micrometre) are small enough to enter the bloodstream and human cells. In a study published in 2024, scientists found that consumption of plastic particles has increased sixfold since 1990, particularly in various global hotspots including the US, China, parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Scandinavia.
Now sampling by an international team led by Lancaster University uncovered nanoplastics in soil of the McMurdo Dry Valleys – a particularly remote and ice-free region of Antarctica.
The study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, shows plastics including polypropylene, polyethylene, PET, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and tyre wear particles, were all found in soils there during their testing in January 2023.
Lancaster University said: “Plastics were found in the topsoils of thirteen sample sites, and nanoplastics found in 54% of topsoil sample sites.
“Nanoplastics were also found in deeper soil layers, albeit at lower concentrations, at half of sites sampled.
“The discovery of the nanoplastics in the samples has been made possible by advances in analytical techniques.
“The researchers used a recently developed technique called ‘thermal desorption-proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry’. This is a highly sensitive technique that is capable of detecting plastic nanoparticles.”
The researchers believe that the plastics could be getting into the Antarctic environment from both research stations on Antarctica, as well as being transported long distances to the continent in the atmosphere.
Though they say additional research will be required to pinpoint how the nanoplastics are arriving in Antarctica’s soils, as well as their potential impacts on this fragile and pristine ecosystem.
Plastic waste and pollution is a global crisis (Image: Getty)
Dr Nhu Phan, the lead author of the study who conducted the research while a PhD researcher at Lancaster University, said: “This evidence shows that soils in one of Earth’s most pristine environments are not exempt from plastic contamination.
“These findings highlight the urgent need to study plastic fate, transport and ecological impacts in polar regions.”
The researchers say their findings, and the possible impacts on Antarctic ecosystems, are concerning.
They say polar ecosystems may be especially vulnerable because invertebrates have lower metabolism, slower growth and other characteristics that make them less adaptable and more susceptible to chemical stresses.
Professor Crispin Halsall of Lancaster University and co-author of the study, added: “Our findings raise concerns regarding the global reach of plastic contamination.
“At present, it is unclear whether ultrafine nanoplastic particles have arisen through direct long-range atmospheric transport from afar, or through the weathering of larger plastic debris found in marine areas along the Antarctic coastline.”
The researchers add that their findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened international collaboration to reduce global plastic emissions and stricter waste management practices on the continent.
The study is outlined in the paper ‘First evidence of nanoplastics in Antarctica soil’.