Experts issue warning over invisible threat lurking in Great Lakes: 'You aren't going to see them with your eye'

Lake Erie has a pollution problem, and it's one you can't even see.

What's happening?

According to researchers and advocates, the lake is the second-most contaminated in the world when it comes to microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic that break off everyday items. Nanoplastics are even smaller.

"You aren't going to see them with your eye, or even a microscope," said Christopher Hines, a researcher at Cleveland Clinic, according to Spectrum News. "... They're in your brain, they are in your toes, and they're in your hair."

These particles are small enough to permeate cells, and scientists have detected them in almost every part of the human body.

Why is this discovery concerning?

Microplastics are an environmental issue, but they're also a matter of public health. 

When plastic trash fragments and enters Lake Erie's ecosystem, it's absorbed by plants and animals, including fish that people commonly eat. And unlike other water pollutants, standard water treatment systems aren't equipped to remove them.

"The major fear isn't so much, say, going swimming in Lake Erie and getting microplastics on your skin," Hines explained. "It's more so in terms of, say, the fish or the algae and plants that do uptake some of these microplastics, then we go eat the fish."

While more research is needed, studies have tied microplastic exposure to serious health concerns, including dementia, cancer, and reduced blood flow in the brain.

Similar concerns have been raised around the world, with studies showing high levels of microplastic contamination everywhere from Latin America to Indonesia. There too, the human health impact is raising alarms.

What's being done about these microplastics?

Researchers are working to both raise awareness and find solutions.

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In Ohio, the Lake Erie Foundation is pushing to reduce plastic waste through education and events such as Lake Erie Awareness Day on Aug. 7. It emphasizes practical steps anyone can take: using refillable water bottles, avoiding single-use plastics, and supporting cleaner packaging.

Meanwhile, one new study found that natural coagulants made from chickpeas and clearing nut seeds outperformed synthetic treatments in removing up to 95% of microplastics from water.

Scientists are hopeful that, with continued research, the issue can be mitigated. "We can change that paradigm, but we need to start being careful about what we do with our plastics," said Peter Huston, a board member of the Lake Erie Foundation.

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