According to CNET, micro plastics have been found in the deepest part of the ocean. They also exist in the snow of Antarctica and on Mount Everest. So, of course, these tiny particles of plastic waste will also be found in the sticky traps of the spider web. It's bad, but it's for [General Environmental Science] in August 2022( https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722021015?via%3Dihub# !)》 A study published online by the journal explores for the first time how spider webs can be used as a tool to monitor micro plastic pollution in urban air**
Micro plastics can come from many aspects, including textiles, water bottles, take away containers and food packaging.
Rebecca s ü ssmuth, an environmental science student at the University of Oldenburg in Germany, collected spider webs from bus stops around Oldenburg. The team placed the webs in laboratory tests to filter out small particles and analyze the components found. Isabel gossmann, co-author of the study, said in a statement earlier this month: "all spider webs are contaminated with micro plastics. For some spider webs, micro plastics account for one tenth of the total weight of spider structures."
The researchers classified particles from tires as microplastics. They found that the concentration of tire debris varied, depending on how busy the roads near the bus stop where the spider web was collected.
These results show that the spider web can allow researchers to quickly understand the micro plastic pollution in any specific area. It also soberly reminds us that the particles floating in the air will be inhaled by humans. A study earlier this year found microplastics in human blood, although the health risks remain unknown. It's not just a matter of visible waste like discarded bottles. It is also a tiny thing that we cannot see.