Chemical Impact: Microplastic pollution more complex than we think, says new research
May 14, 2021 | National Public Radio, Michigan
Microplastic pollution has been building up in the Great Lakes for at least four decades, but our understanding of its impact on fish and other aquatic creatures is only just catching up.
Now new research from the University of Toronto shows the harm to wildlife is due to a wide range of factors that is not generally considered in toxicology testing – the plastics’ size, shape and chemical makeup.
In particular, it shows larval fathead minnows exposed to microplastics collected from Lake Ontario developed almost six times more deformities compared to when they were exposed ‘pristine’ pre-consumer microplastics. This suggests microplastics in the lake soak up contaminants in the water and that it is these chemicals that are causing deformities.
The study’s authors argue researchers and policymakers need to stop seeing microplastics as a single contaminant, but rather understand they are multiple contaminants in one tiny package.
