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Rising microplastics in soil a threat to UK food security, MPs and campaigners say

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • Scientists, MPs and campaigners say growing microplastic contamination in UK agricultural soil threatens soil health and could add pressure to food security.
  • A parliamentary report says UK soils rank among Europe's most contaminated, with sewage sludge used as fertiliser identified as a frequent source.
  • The report calls for legally binding targets to reduce microplastic releases at their source.

Microplastics are accumulating in UK agricultural soils already under pressure from extreme weather, prompting scientists, MPs and campaigners to call for legally binding pollution targets.

A report from the all-party parliamentary group on microplastics says UK soils rank among the most contaminated in Europe. It identifies repeated applications of sewage sludge from water-treatment works as a common source of contamination.

Despite the evidence, the UK’s response remains limited. Existing measures tackle only a tiny proportion of microplastic emissions. We urgently need a preventative approach focused on reducing microplastic releases at source to protect human health and food security.

— Alberto CostaThe MP and parliamentary group chair calls for stronger regulation.

Alberto Costa, chair of the parliamentary group, said existing measures address only a small share of microplastic emissions. “Despite the evidence, the UK’s response remains limited. Existing measures tackle only a tiny proportion of microplastic emissions. We urgently need a preventative approach focused on reducing microplastic releases at source to protect human health and food security,” he said.

Everywhere we look, we find them. Doesn’t matter how deep, how high, how obscure the sampling site, we will find microplastics. And similarly we’re finding microplastics now throughout the human body.

— Cressida BowyerBowyer describes the widespread presence of microplastics.

The report was produced with the University of Portsmouth's Revolution Plastics Institute and the Women's Institute. It defines microplastics as plastic particles from 1 micrometre to 5 millimetres, while nanoplastics measure less than 1 micrometre. These particles can come from synthetic textiles, packaging, paints, cosmetics and vehicle tyres.

Professor Cressida Bowyer, the report's senior author, said researchers find microplastics across a wide range of environments and increasingly throughout the human body. Evidence submitted to the report also raised concerns about soil fertility. Bowyer said plastic particles can alter soil structure and water capacity, affect bacteria and fungi, and cause physiological changes in earthworms that ingest them.

impacts the biological, the chemical and the physical functioning of the soil and the soil fertility itself

— Cressida BowyerBowyer explains how microplastics may affect soil health.
About this summary

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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