To fully respect nature, should we start hiking barefoot and without equipment? This is not quite what the results of a scientific study relayed by The Guardian suggest, but we could end up reaching such conclusions. The British media explains that hiking shoes and outdoor equipment constitute a significant source of microplastic pollution, as the work of two American researchers has shown.
They based their research on measuring microplastic levels in two of the largest water sources on the Hudson River, in the northeastern United States: Tear of the Clouds Lake, which sees heavy traffic from hikers, and Moss Pond, much more protected from human activity because it is very far from any hiking trail. The results are unequivocal. The samples taken from the first lake are 23 times richer in microplastics than those from the second: 16.54 particles per milliliter of water in Tear of Clouds Lake, compared to 0.73 in Moss Pond.
Hard soles and natural fibers
For Tim Keyes, co-author of the study, soft-soled hiking shoes and synthetic clothing “appear to contribute significantly to the presence of microplastics in these isolated and otherwise pristine waters”.
In 2023, he had already taken samples of microplastics in Lake Tear of the Clouds, located at around 1,300 meters above sea level in New York State: these had already revealed significant levels of microplastic particles. But, at the time, “it was assumed that microplastic pollution was mainly contributed by atmospheric deposition”he writes with his co-author Joe Dadey.
Two years later, the two men returned to the scene with the desire to confirm or refute their hypothesis. In addition to new measurements in the Tear of the Clouds, samples taken from Moss Pond, located at a similar altitude, made it possible to make edifying comparisons. The research methodology was also validated by other scientists who did not take part in the work.
Previous research revealed that up to 70% of microplastics in ocean samples came from clothing. This only supports the hypothesis according to which hiking equipment, and in particular the shoes favored by visitors to the site, is one of the main causes of the pollution observed. Therefore, it is advisable to wear shoes with stiff rubber soles and to wear clothing made from natural fibers over clothing made from synthetic fibers.
