Screen chemicals turn up in remote polar soils
LCD and OLED display chemicals were also found in Tibetan Plateau soil, and most compounds were higher in newer samples.
24 Oct 2026 0 reads Compiled with AI
#LCD and OLED screens #Stockholm Convention
Scientists have found chemicals used in LCD and OLED screens in some of the planet's most remote soils. A study of 55 samples from the Arctic, Antarctica and the Tibetan Plateau detected 42 of the 54 display compounds tested.
The researchers took the top two inches of soil after clearing away plants and stones. Arctic samples were collected near China's Yellow River Station on Svalbard in 2011 and again in 2016. Antarctic samples came from near China's Great Wall Station in 2011 and 2022, and plateau samples came from Mount Shergyla and around Lhasa in 2010 and 2021. The soil stayed frozen until it reached the laboratory.
Key results
Levels were higher in the later samples for most compounds. The plateau had the highest average, 911 trillionths of a gram per gram, roughly twice the Arctic and Antarctic averages. One fluorine-containing compound made up 64% to 82% of the total on the plateau. Of the 42 compounds detected, 33 were higher in the newer samples.
Because the chemicals are still produced, the authors call them "chemicals in use." Persistence and long-distance travel are two traits the Stockholm Convention uses to decide which chemicals to restrict worldwide. The authors' rough, preliminary risk check placed most compounds below the low-risk threshold. Plateau scores, however, were 10 to 100 times higher than at the polar sites. They recommend laboratory toxicity testing in soil and evaluation under the Stockholm Convention.