Research comparing Adirondack mountain lakes in New York suggests foot traffic is significant source of pollution

Hiking shoes and outdoor gear are likely a significant source of microplastic pollution in the wilderness, new research that checked for the pernicious material in several Adirondack mountain lakes in upstate New York suggests.

Researchers measured microplastic levels in two lakes that are the among highest sources of water for the Hudson River – one that sees heavy foot traffic from hikers, and another lake that is far away from a path and rarely touched by human activity.

The samples from the lake that sees heavier foot traffic showed levels that were about 23 times higher.

  • Øπ3ŕ@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 hours ago

    They’ve gotta have some way to make it about shaming the individual…

    You know, to take the heat off all the corporations spewing metric fucktonnes of plastic into the air, water, and various substrates across the fucking planet every goddamned day… Right? 🤌🏼