Researchers have found that plastic pollution can reach high in the Pyrenees in southwestern France, far from likely sources of microplastics.

(Eric Cabanis/AFP/Getty Images)

At a Glance

An average of 365 microplastic particles fall each day on a collection area high in the Pyrenees. Researchers think the bits of plastic could be blowing in from cities 100 miles away.The study shows one more example of how plastic pollution can reach every place on Earth.

High in the French Pyrenees, at least 60 miles from any town of real size, researchers have discovered microplastics are falling from the sky.

Every day, an average of 365 tiny particles of plastic fall on the square meter collectors at a remote weather station in the mountains in southwestern France, according to a study .

The research suggests that microplastics, which have been found in the and the , can also be carried long distances by air.

Computer simulations showed the fragments of plastic could have floated more than 60 miles from their source , Science magazine reports.

(MORE: Plastic Has Been Found in the Guts of Creatures Living in the Deepest Parts of the Oceans)

And the actual distance could be much greater. The researchers noted that the microplastics are half the size and weight of Sahara Desert dust particles that can be carried across the Atlantic Ocean.

The researchers think the Pyrenees plastic could be , 100 miles to the south, Wired reports.

Microplastics are , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They come from clothing, cosmetics, packaging and industrial processes. They have been found in animals and can get into the food chain, and studies have shown microplastics can .

Researchers last year discovered that with microplastics. A study earlier this year also found sourced from limestone aquifers.

The health effects of microplastics on humans are not yet fully understood.