Letters | Asia is waking up to storms that are stronger – and more polluted
Readers discuss new research that shows how typhoons spread microplastic pollution, encouraging the use of an anti-scam app, and the migrant domestic workers who fell victim to the Tai Po fire
New research led by a team at the University of Nottingham Ningbo reveals an additional, invisible threat: typhoons have become efficient super-spreaders of microplastic pollution.
A typhoon’s immense energy churns the ocean, suspending plastic particles from depths that are ejected into the atmosphere through sea spray. The storm then carries this invisible payload landward, where it is washed down upon urban centres and farmland in torrential rains.
For a city like Hong Kong, which faces multiple typhoons each year, this recurring exposure poses a significant public health challenge. The typhoon-driven surge consists overwhelmingly of small particles. This dramatic shift implies many of the particles are in the inhalable size range, which dramatically elevates community exposure, creating a persistent risk, especially for vulnerable groups like children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.