In France, an “almost systematic presence” of microplastics in soils

No less than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced on average each year worldwide, including 3.7 million in France alone. Although water contamination is widely documented, that of other environments remains poorly understood. This is why Ademe publishes on Thursday what it presents as « the first study characterizing the extent of contamination » soils of mainland France, focusing on those with an agricultural vocation.

Plastic is a scourge for the environment: it takes hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade and, by fragmenting into micro and nanoparticles, it gets everywhere, often with its share of toxic chemical additives. And the problem is not limited to waste management, recalls Nathalie Gontard, Inrae research director in Montpellier. « These particles are emitted during the production and use of plastic. Our tires, our clothes, our roads, our buildings wear out and emit…