Tiny plastic particles are showing up in waterways across Illinois, from Lake Michigan and the Chicago River to smaller creeks and streams — and a new statewide survey suggests the problem is far more widespread than many people might realize.
The survey, conducted by Environment Illinois Research and Education Center with help from citizen scientists, found microplastics in every one of the 31 waterways tested across the state.
Beginning last fall, volunteers collected water samples from sites across Illinois, reported CBS News.
According to the survey, every site contained at least one kind of microplastic.
Microfibers were found at 100% of locations, microfragments at 77%, and microfilms at 52%. Microbeads were not detected at any site.
"We wanted to look at the freshwater all across Illinois," associate director Emily Kowalski said, per CBS News.
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Holding up a sample from the North Branch of the Chicago River, she added: "We can't see those microplastics, but unfortunately, based on the results of our survey, there are likely microplastics in this water."
Researchers also found pellets, fibers, and plastic film in the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Kowalski warned that "wildlife can be harmed, or even suffocate and die when ingesting plastic," affecting aquatic species directly and rippling outward through food webs and habitats.
Research into how microplastics may affect human health is still ongoing, but their consistent presence in freshwater raises questions about exposure in places where people fish, boat, swim, and draw drinking water.
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Fibers from laundry, fragments from broken-down products, and thin films from packaging appear to be entering waterways regularly.
"That tells me that there is truly plastic everywhere," Kowalski said.
"Our data is actually replicable by anyone who's interested in understanding more about the waterways in their backyard," she said, per CBS News.
The organization is also using the survey to push for broader changes in how society uses and disposes of plastic, especially when so much of it eventually breaks down into smaller, harder-to-track pieces.
"We need to rethink our relationship with plastic, because we need healthy waters, healthy wildlife, and a healthy environment for the future," Kowalski said.
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