Microplastics in the great lakes
These tiny plastics are causing big problems for the Great Lakes and our health.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are defined as bits of plastic that are 5 millimeters or less in diameter, about the size of a lentil.
There are two types known as primary and secondary. Primary microplastics include plastic pellets (also known as nurdles) used in industrial manufacturing, microbeads found in personal care products and microfibers from synthetic textiles. Secondary microplastics are created from the breakdown of larger plastic items such as plastic bags, bottles and toys through exposure to heat, sun, wind and waves.
Microplastics never fully breakdown and remain in our environment forever while continuing to wreak havoc.
Photo Credit: Hannah Tizedes, @hannahtizedes
why should YOU care?
Microplastics have been found in air, the ocean, our freshwater Great Lakes ecosystem, lodged in the bellies of wildlife, and within the human heart, brain, lungs, tissues and organs.
Often mistaken for a source of food, fish and birds consume microplastics leading to blockages in their digestive tracts, causing them to consume less food and have less energy, potentially leading to neurological and reproductive toxicity. But fish and birds are not the only ones ingesting microplastics. Along with zooplankton and other small organisms consuming microplastics, research also shows that the average person ingests approximately 5 grams of microplastics (about the weight of a credit card) weekly from breathing air, drinking water, and consuming food (WWF, 2019).
Microplastics have been detected in drinking water, beer, seafood, table salt, breast milk and other food products. These tiny plastics are made from a number of toxic chemicals including endocrine disruptors that impact hormonal balance in both humans and wildlife, and may lead to cancer, reproduction, respiratory, and immune problems.
Research from Rochester Institute of Technology found 22 million pounds of plastic pollution entering our Great Lakes every year, leading to an inevitable and substantial amount of microplastics. More recently, in 2023, we learned that 90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastics levels. Holding 90% of the US’s freshwater and home to 3,500 species of plants and animals, we must act now to protect environmental and human health.