UN, Argentina Analyze Microplastics In Antarctica

Scientists have found microplastics in Antarctica, while millions of plastic pellets have washed up on Spain’s coast, as reported by Sharon Kimathi for Reuters.

The new joint investigation launched by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA) is part of the IAEA's NUTEC Plastics Initiative that has looked at microplastic pollution around the world. I Image: International Atomic Energy Agency

The volume of microplastics in Antarctica is being analyzed using nuclear science to study the region's waters, sediment, and even penguin droppings.

The new joint investigation launched by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA) is part of the IAEA's NUTEC Plastics Initiative that has looked at microplastic pollution around the world.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that by using nuclear applications, it was possible to determine the volume of pollutants on the seabed and where they had come from.

"The health of Antarctica is essential for the health of the planet," Grossi told Reuters from the "white continent" during a visit with Argentina’s new President Javier Milei. "Microplastics are affecting the environment, and this place is no exception."

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