Atmospheric microplastic deposition in Guilin karst wetlands: Sources and agricultural impact

On microplastics abundance in waters of Guizhou, China

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Microplastics were detected in all water sources sampled across Guizhou, southwestern China — rivers, lakes, streams, tap water, and bottled water — with open-water sources showing significantly higher concentrations than bottled water, and particles under 20 µm comprising more than 50% of samples. The pervasive presence of microplastics in both tap and bottled water in a remote, lower-income region confirms that no water source is uncontaminated and that human ingestion through drinking water is effectively universal.

Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics in a remote mountain catchment

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Researchers documented atmospheric deposition of microplastic fragments, films, and fibers in a remote, pristine mountain catchment in the French Pyrenees, with particles traveling up to 95 km through the air. This landmark study confirmed that microplastics reach even the most isolated terrestrial environments through wind transport, meaning no ecosystem on Earth is truly free from plastic contamination.

Dynamics of suspended atmospheric microplastics and their wet deposition in the Qilian Mountains, Northeast Tibetan Plateau

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Researchers quantified suspended and wet-deposited atmospheric microplastics in a remote Tibetan Plateau mountain range, finding that irregular particle morphology favors suspension while sphericity serves as a proxy for tracing source regions, and that polymer-specific wettability explains why certain types concentrate in rain versus air.

Atmospheric microplastic deposition in 24 Chinese cities with different socio-economic development levels

Occurrence characteristics and environmental risk of microplastics in tropical China depend on land use patterns

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Across four tropical agricultural land-use types in Hainan, China, microplastic abundance and polymer toxicity profiles differed significantly by land use, with rice fields exhibiting the highest hazard index due to high-hazard polymers, and fragmentation of larger plastic debris identified as the primary local source. The findings show that agricultural management practices — not climate alone — drive microplastic risk in food-producing soils, with direct implications for food safety in rice, a global dietary staple.