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The highest concentrations of microplastics were around Base Camp. Samples showed significant quantities of polyester, acrylic, nylon and polypropylene fibres. Such materials are being used to make things like tents.
According to The Guardian, other recent discoveries of microplastic pollution in remote parts of the Swiss Alps and French Pyrenees indicate the particles can also be carried by the wind from further afield.
People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.