A newly published study found that there are about 74 metric tons of microplastics in Auckland, New Zealand’s atmosphere that could be inhaled by residents there and accumulate in their bodies.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Auckland and published in Environmental Science & Technology found that the amount of plastic particles was equivalent to the weight of three million plastic bottles a year, according to RNZ.

The National Library of Medicine said nanoplastics, which have been initially reported in 2004, have been directly released into the environment or secondarily derived from plastic disintegration in the environment. 

Several studies indicate that water bodies, air, soil, food, and table salt may contain microplastic or nanoplastic particles. One of the biggest contributors to the release of these particles into the environment is car tires rubbing against the ground. Laundry wastewater is a major source of plastics.

The RNZ report noted that these nanoplastics can impact human health by entering cells, crossing the blood-brain barrier, and could build up in organs like the liver, brain, and testicles. The report also noted that plastics have been recorded in placenta.

The researchers found an average of 4,885 airborne particles per square meter in various locations around the city, which is far higher than the amount recorded in cities like London (771), Hamburg (275), and Paris (110). 

The researchers believe the waves in the Hauraki Gulf could create more water-borne microplastics. EcoWatch reported that researchers captured microplastics “falling from the sky with funnels in jars, which were placed in wooden boxes. The boxes were placed in two locations: one on a rooftop at the university campus in the center of the city, and one in a residential garden in Remuera, a suburb about 2.49 miles from the city center.”

“Future work needs to quantify exactly how much plastic we are breathing in,” Joel Rindelaub, a chemist at the University of Auckland and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “It’s becoming more and more clear that this is an important route of exposure.”

TRENDPOST: The Trends Journal has long noted how health officials raised the alarm during the COVID-19 outbreak about masks and airborne illness and yet talk little about environmental risks that the entire globe faces. (See “AIR POLLUTION IN INDIA: KILLING ONE IN FIVE,” and “AIR POLLUTION KILLING CHILDREN BEFORE THEY’RE BORN.”) 

The WHO reported that some 91 percent of the world’s population live in areas where chemicals contributing to poor air quality exceed guidelines. Yet, these facts and figures are “nonessential” in this era of COVID Hysteria.