
Scientists contradict chemtrails conspiracy theorists by explaining that the lines in the sky are created by water condensation.
Atmospheric scientists state that chemtrails are not real, and they have written an official article that proves the fact.
The initial conspiracy theory was that harmful chemical substances are released into the air from planes flight at high altitudes.
To demonstrate the opposite, the researchers from several organizations and universities did a survey asking 77 geochemists and atmospheric chemists if they have evidence of the large-scale spraying program. Just one of them answered that they had.
The aircraft engines produce trails of condensation, and a vocal segment of the population believes that these lines in the sky are in fact chemtrails, and the planes spread into the air chemical substances such as barium, strontium, and aluminum. They also think that the toxins had been released into the atmosphere for decades, and the spread is intentional.
The supporters of the conspiracy theory even said they found evidence of toxic substances in water and soil samples. Moreover, the government, the airlines, or the military are to blame for this release of toxins.
The purpose of the chemtrails would be to control population, to regulate the food supply, or to change the weather.
The ideas changed in time, and people started to include more modern issues in the system of beliefs. For example, the new scopes of the chemtrails became inducing climate change and geoengineering activities sponsored by the government.
One of the authors of the study explains that the emergence of the conspiracy theory coincides with the beginning of the internet. As the world wide web started to grow, numerous pseudo-science websites appeared, all promoting ideas that had no basis in reality.
The high popularity of the chemtrails theory matches the decrease in public trust towards social institutions and elites.
Another explanation for the persistence of the conspiracy theory may be that the condensation trails left by the aircraft tend to stay longer in the sky as a result of climate change. Other scientists say that planes now have the option to fly at higher altitudes, where trails are more prone to appear.
As the traffic up in the sky had increased in the last decade, contrails are more abundant, and people see them more often, leading to them trying to find an explanation, or a story, around the natural phenomenon.
The scientists surveyed in the paper are active researchers in the atmospheric dust and pollution field. They explained that the sample collection methods used by the chemtrails groups are faulty, and they lead to false evidence. For example, taking and collecting soil, water or snow with Mason jars is a sure method of sample contamination.
The correct collection method to analyze metals from environmental samples is to use a plastic container. Glass, for once, needs to be treated with acid water in order to remove residual metals.
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