Microplastics are infamous for being everywhere on Earth — in bodies of saltwater, bodies of freshwater, and the bodies of wildlife and humans alike — with some estimates placing the number of plastic shards and particles in the ocean alone at over 350 trillion.
Many research teams are working on developing much-needed technologies to remove microplastics from drinking water and ocean water.
But in a remote part of Canada accessible only via an unmarked, unpaved road, scientists are busy putting microplastics into the water, according to The Guardian. Lake 378 is so remote it doesn't even seem to have a name, and the outlet described it as a "living lab."
The lake is one of nearly 60 once-pristine lakes that make up the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Experimental Lakes Area, IISD-ELA. The institute describes it as the "world's largest freshwater laboratory," enabling scientists to "understand what human activity does to fresh water."
It takes University of Toronto professor Chelsea Rochman nearly a full day to drive to Lake 378. Over the past three years, Rochman and her team have introduced "microplastics at concentrations equivalent to one cup of microplastics in one Olympic-sized swimming pool," The Guardian reported
The team is meticulous, using three types of common plastic that are carefully dyed for tracking purposes. Among other things, the researchers observe their relative buoyancy, whether they cling to the surface or settle on the lake's bottom, and their trajectory.
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Rochman, who told the newspaper that "mismanagement of our waste is coming back to haunt us," gathers data along with her team on how microplastics traverse the food chain, and how concentrations in marine habitats correlate with those found in the edible parts of seafood.
Operating under real-world conditions provides the researchers with unparalleled insights into the global problem of microplastics. Rochman said the arrangement was invaluable.
"There isn't another research station like this anywhere else in the world," she told The Guardian.
Observing how microplastics filter through everything we see, touch, eat, and breathe is edifying, and Rochman's team is poised to uncover novel details about a problem affecting every habitat and living thing on Earth.
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How do you feel about microplastics being inside our bodies? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
I want them out now 🚫 However, she explained that their efforts were as much about policy as they were about scientific understanding, and she emphasized turning knowledge into action.
"There's no point knowing all about microplastics in a lake without using it to make change. Research shouldn't happen in a vacuum," Rochman said.
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