Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural environments in greater quantities than in urban locations, researchers say.
Scientists led by the University of Leeds detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study – almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre.
They believe trees and other vegetation capture airborne microplastic particles from the atmosphere and deposit them, highlighting the impact that different landscape and weather conditions have on the spread of the particles.
And they say that these unexpected results challenge the assumption that microplastic pollution is mainly an urban problem.
The research was conducted by a team of scientists led by Dr Gbotemi Adediran, Lecturer in Earth Surface Geochemistry in the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment.
He said: "Our research reveals that rural environments are not necessarily safe from airborne microplastics - and highlights how natural features like trees influence pollution patterns.
"This shows that microplastic deposition is shaped not just by human activity, but also by environmental factors, which has important implications for monitoring, managing, and reducing microplastic pollution.
"The widespread presence of smaller microplastics raises concerns about potential health risks from inhalation, regardless of whether people live in a city or a rural village."
Previous studies have shown that microplastics can remain suspended in the air for weeks, with the smallest particles travelling many thousands of miles. Particles travel on swirling air currents, spreading out as the air moves.
The team set out to investigate the impact of weather on different particles, and how that linked to the types detected in different landscapes. They chose three locations in Oxfordshire: rural Wytham Woods; suburban Summertown, and urban Oxford City. They took samples every two to three days from May to July 2023.
The team used a high-resolution FTIR spectroscope, which measures how infrared light is absorbed by materials in a sample, allowing researchers to identify what the materials are made of.
They quantified 21 different types of plastics across four size ranges:
25–50 μm: the size of large bacteria
50–75 μm: about the size of a pollen grain
75–100 μm: about the size of the smallest grains of sand
Over 100 μm: around the thickness of a human hair
Looking at how and where they settled, and weather variables across the study period, they registered between 12 and 500 particles per square metre per day.
Wytham Woods recorded the highest overall number of particles, while Oxford City had the largest range of different particle types.
Up to 99% of the particles were the smallest size, which are invisible to the human eye.
In Wytham Woods, most of the particles found were polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET, which is used in clothing and food containers.
In Summertown, polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags, was most commonly found.
And in Oxford city, most particles were of ethylene vinyl alcohol, a polymer widely used in multilayer food packaging, automotive fuel system components and industrial films.
Weather conditions had a strong influence on movement of the particles. During periods of high atmospheric pressure, which leads to calm, sunny weather, fewer particles were deposited, but in windy weather, especially from the northeast, particles were deposited in greater numbers. Rainfall reduced the number of particles, but those that were collected were larger.
Dr Adediran said: "Our findings highlight the impact of weather patterns on microplastic dispersion and deposition, and the role of trees and other vegetation in intercepting and depositing airborne particles from the atmosphere.
"The study highlights the need for further research into long-term deposition patterns of microplastics, focusing on specific plastic types and sizes, and their relationship with short-term and seasonal weather variations across diverse landscapes."
Further information
Microplastics in the air: Weather and polymer influences on deposition trends across a rural–urban gradient is published in Environmental Pollution on 1 January 2026.
