Rising microplastics in soil a threat to UK food security, MPs and campaigners say
A report from the UK's all-party parliamentary group on microplastics warns that agricultural soil contamination threatens national food security. Experts are calling for legally binding targets to reduce microplastic pollution at the source, noting that UK soil is among the most contaminated in Europe.
Why it matters
Soil health is critical for sustainable food production, and microplastic accumulation poses long-term risks to human health and agricultural stability.
Microplastics are often shed by the breakdown of everyday plastic items such as synthetic textiles, packaging, paints, cosmetics or car tyres./iStockphoto Microplastics are often shed by the breakdown of everyday plastic items such as synthetic textiles, packaging, paints, cosmetics or car tyres./iStockphoto Plastics Rising microplastics in soil a threat to UK food security, MPs and campaigners say Report calls for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution as soil ‘is a complex living ecosystem’
Prefer the Guardian on Google The accumulation of microplastics in soil presents an emerging threat to the UK’s food security, according to scientists, MPs and campaigners who have called for legally binding targets to cut microplastic pollution.
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