Microplastic pollution is suffocating our ecosystems and exponentially contaminating even the most remote areas of the planet. These tiny particles are largely caused by the degradation of plastic waste released into the environment, but are often released directly from industrial wastewater and synthetic clothing washing waters. Research shows that there is almost no place on Earth where microplastics have not been detected, but a new study published by a Japanese research team in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters has shown that these particles are also present in clouds, where they may play a key role. rapid cloud formation with negative effects on the climate. Specifically, the team identified nine different types of polymers and one type of rubber in microplastics in water samples collected from clouds at the summits of Mount Fuji and Mount Ōyama, Japan, ranging in size from 7.1 to 94.6 micrometers. For every liter of water tested, scientists found 6 to 14 particles. "If the problem of air pollution caused by plastics is not proactively addressed, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, which will cause serious and irreversible damage to the environment in the future," warned the lead author of the research, Dr. Hiroshi Okochi from Waseda University. (Valeria Aiello)