According to experts, 3,000 tons of microplastics end up in Switzerland every year.
Experts from the Swiss Federal Laboratory for Materials Science and Technology conducted a study showing that there are microplastic particles in the Alps at an altitude of 3,106 meters above sea level.
As it became known, mass spectrometry was used for the study, which allows experts to detect the molecules of interest by determining their mass. It also provides an opportunity to learn in detail about the chemical structure of the molecules.
The researchers analyzed wind and weather information and then determined the nature of the origin of microplastic particles. Specialists said that 30% of plastic gets to the top from large cities within a radius of 200 km from it. The other 70% are dispersed by wave spray in the oceans, a tenth of which traveled a distance of 2,000 km before settling on the mountain.