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According to the researchers, the source of this contamination is likely the equipment used by hundreds of climbers who scale this peak each year.
The road, nicknamed by many, up to the 8,848-meter-high peak, has long been littered with brightly colored tents, used climbing gear, empty oxygen and gas canisters and even frozen feces. For this reason, Everest has been classified as the “highest spillway in the world”.
In Everest’s first study of microplastic contamination, a team of scientists involved in the 2019 Perpetual Planet expedition, backed by National Geographic magazine and luxury watchmaker Rolex, collected samples that showed microplastic particles reached 8,440 meters above sea level, but its concentration was higher at Everest base camp.
The findings, which reveal the potential danger of plastic pollution for Everest, were published in the ecological journal One Earth on Friday.
“The samples showed significant levels of polyester, acrylic, nylon and polypropylene fiber particles,” said study author Imogen Napper, a National Geographic researcher at the University of Plymouth in the UK.
AFP / Scanpix Photo / Copy to Everest
“In fact, I was surprised to find microplastics in each of the snow samples I analyzed. Mount Everest is a region that I have always considered remote and intact. The news that we are polluting near the top of the highest mountain really opens our eyes, “he added.
The scourge of the environment
Tourists and climbers who visit Everest often wear synthetic fabrics adapted for expeditions in harsh conditions. These materials are also used for tents, climbing ropes, and other equipment.
“We strongly suspect that this type of item is a major source of contamination, not items like food or beverage containers,” Napper said, referring to the high accumulation of trash during several decades of commercial mountaineering.
Last year, a team of 14 members collected rubbish for six weeks around Base Camp and Everest Camp 4, almost eight miles high.
They found the remains of four dead climbers and also collected more than 10 tons of plastic bottles, cans, and climbing gear.
The new study also shows that microscopic plastic particles on Everest from elsewhere may also have been carried away by strong Himalayan winds.
The researchers also found microplastics in streams at the foot of the famous Himalayan peak, but there the concentration of pollutants was lower than in the snow.
Last year, scientists reported that microplastic particles settled every day in every square meter they studied in the uninhabited high-altitude region of the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain.
Plastic waste and the tiny particles that it break up have become a major scourge of the environment in recent years.
It is estimated that up to 12 million people enter the world’s oceans each year. tons of plastic and millions of more tons accumulate in inland waters and landfills.
Scientists are just beginning to understand how microplastic pollution affects wildlife, as well as its potential effects on human health.
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