The French Agency for Ecological Transition's study shed light on the extent of this pollution for the first time by systematically revealing the presence of microplastics in French agricultural soil.
Among the 33 samples taken from various locations, including forests, meadows, vineyards, and orchards, or from areas with large-scale crops spread across the entire main territory of France, 25 (i.e., 76%) contained microplastics.
On average, the soil samples analyzed contained 15 microplastic particles per kilogram of dry soil, according to "France Press."
The Environmental Transformation Agency indicated in a statement that the collected data did not determine the source of microplastics, but the organization "assumes that for soil designated for agricultural activities, part of its origin comes from approved agricultural practices."
The degradation of plastic materials that build up in landfills or the natural environment produces microplastics, which are particles smaller than 5 millimeters.
The pollution these materials cause in the oceans has been the subject of several previous studies, but little research in France has focused on soil pollution.
The authors of the study asserted that their research "is the first to determine the extent of this pollution on the mainland of France, on soils subjected to various agricultural uses that have not received direct amounts of plastic" through human intervention.
The tests showed that microplastic particles were present in all four samples from meadows, in more than three quarters of the soils from field crops (17 out of 21), in three out of four samples from vineyards and orchards, and in only one out of four samples from forest soils.
The soil samples mainly contained polyethylene and polypropylene, which are polymers primarily found in plastic packaging.
The researchers noted that the "almost systematic presence of microplastic particles in the studied soils shows that it is urgent to continue these studies in order to provide monitoring data for microplastic particles in the soil," and expanded the scope to include urban and outdoor areas.
