JACKSONVILLE, Fla – We’ve all heard of fake plants for decoration—but real plants absorbing plastic? That’s no science fiction.
RELATED: Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?
Scientists from Nankai University in China have made a surprising discovery: tiny plastic particles, called microplastics, can get inside plant leaves directly from the air. These plastics were found in many places, including cities and farms.
The two main types of plastics found were polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS). They were discovered in plants growing in several environments like public parks, landfills, college campuses, and even farms.
The highest amounts were found near a plastic factory and a landfill in Tianjin, China. But microplastics were also found in plants growing in cities such as Paris, Shanghai, London, and Southern California.
In another study, tiny plastic pieces were discovered in lettuce grown in Lisbon, Portugal, and in plant leaves in Southport, Australia.
How does plastic get into plants?
Researchers did lab experiments and tested real plants, like corn, to see how the plastics entered the leaves. They found that the tiny plastic particles float in the air, land on the leaves, and sneak in through small openings called stomata—tiny holes on the surface of leaves that usually let air and water in and out.
RELATED: Microplastics are everywhere, but are they harming us?
Once inside, the plastic travels through the plant’s inner systems and can even get stuck in special parts like trichomes, which are little hair-like structures on leaves.
More plastic was found in plants that had older leaves or had been growing outdoors for longer periods of time. Plants grown in open fields had more microplastics than ones grown inside greenhouses.
RELATED: Here’s what you can do to minimize exposure to plastic chemicals in your food
Scientists also found microplastics in nine different leafy vegetables. They washed the leaves carefully before checking them to make sure they weren’t just measuring plastic on the surface. They confirmed that the plastic was actually inside the leaf tissue.
Scientists are still studying what eating plants with microplastics might do to our health. There’s concern that if plants have plastic in them, then animals, insects, and even humans who eat those plants might also end up with microplastics in their bodies.
More research is needed to figure out how this might affect our health and the environment in the long run.