How much problematic are microplastics in Lake Ontario?
The Weather Network recently spoke with the University of Toronto's Trash Team about what microplastics are and how they end up in Lake Ontario.
Walking along the Toronto waterfront, you will notice an abundance of garbage--like in many locales in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). So, how much of a problem are the microplastics in our waterways, especially Lake Ontario?
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According to Chelsea Rochman, University of Toronto assistant professor and co-founder and director of the University of Toronto Trash Team, anywhere from 100 to 1,000 pieces of microplastics can be found in an individual fish. As a result, "it can be harmful to humans when we're eating fish from the lake," she told The Weather Network in a recent interview.
(Getty Images/Disobey Art/1140976290-170667a)
"What you're seeing are these large bits of debris. But the reality is these cups, plates and straws eventually break down over time into smaller and smaller pieces. Once they reach a certain size, under five millimetres, like the size of a pencil eraser, they're microplastics," said Rochman.
"So, those microplastics are an issue because every animal interacts with them. Every organism that we look at, from sea birds to fish to zooplankton, eat microplastics, and that microplastic can be harmful."
Not only that, you can see water bottles, paper plates and cups in the water. Have those items been discarded in the water intentionally?
Microplastics found in our waterways can also end up in our drinking water. (Greggory DiSalvo/Getty Images-2075756783-170667a)
Rochman says it's usually not on purpose, but can be a combination of things. But she does acknowledge that sometimes they can be disposed of into the ravines or other smaller bodies of water--eventually making their way into Lake Ontario.
"Because it gets blown out of overflowing garbage cans, if you do have intentional litter, over time, it runs off the road, goes into the rivers or into those storm drains, and ends up in our lakes," said Rochman.
Thumbnail courtesy of Getty Images/Tunatura/1036767280-170667a.
