Abstract

Here, there, and everywhere No place is safe from plastic pollution. Brahney et al. show that even the most isolated areas in the United States—national parks and national wilderness areas—accumulate microplastic particles after they are transported there by wind and rain (see the Perspective by Rochman and Hoellein). They estimate that more than 1000 metric tons per year fall within south and central western U.S. protected areas. Most of these plastic particles are synthetic microfibers used for making clothing. These findings should underline the importance of reducing pollution from such materials. Science , this issue p. 1257 ; see also p. 1184

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Environmental science

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Publication Info

Year
2020
Type
article
Volume
368
Issue
6496
Pages
1257-1260
Citations
1045
Access
Closed

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Cite This

Janice Brahney, Margaret Hallerud, Eric Heim et al. (2020). Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States. Science , 368 (6496) , 1257-1260. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5819

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DOI
10.1126/science.aaz5819