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Resources | Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution has been identified as an emerging issue on Lake Huron, first through data from beach cleanups, second from incidences of plastic pellet spills, and third, from research on open lake pollution by plastic.
The emerging issue of Great Lakes plastic pollution is a threat to the ecological and economic health and stability of the Great Lakes. Plastic debris has the capacity to adversely affect aquatic environments in a variety of ways that directly affects socio-economic and environmental interests. It is a problem on local shorelines that directly affects both municipalities and the general public.
Information on the extent of the issue in marine environments is well documented and researched, while freshwater environments have received less attention, and is often underestimated. However, research on Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie has proposed that plastic concentrations observed exceed data collected in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A study from the Rochester Institute of Technology, found that nearly 22 million pounds of plastic pollution enter the Great Lakes yearly! Recognized as a significant resource for both American and Canadian interests, the health of the Great Lakes is important for a variety of social, economic, and environmental factors.
Research is limited on plastic pollution on Lake Huron, although it has increased over the past several years. Studies have been done identifying plastic debris and microplastics across Lake Huron. This includes microplastics found in sediment at the bottom of the lake, even buried deep below the sediment-water interface. Microfibers seemingly from denim were identified in both sediments and ingested by rainbow smelt, a type of small fish native for Lake Huron. Researchers also found that some of the highest concentrations of plastic debris on beaches was on the Lake Huron shoreline. Although the shores of Lake Huron have some of the highest levels of plastic pollution, Lake Huron also contains some of the most pristine beaches. Plastic pollution on the Lake Huron shoreline is not evenly distributed. Let's keep our beaches beautiful!
Recognizing there is limited knowledge on plastic pollution in Lake Huron, a study team from Western University prepared this report for the Coastal Centre on ‘Assessing and Mitigating Plastic Pollution in Lake Huron.’ Although this report was prepared in 2013, a lot of the information is still relevant. This report considers potential impacts of plastic pollution on aquatic and terrestrial wildlife in and around Lake Huron, and ideas have been proposed to best engage municipalities and the public along with best practices towards addressing freshwater plastic pollution.
There have been great strides made in plastic and microplastic pollution research in freshwater environments, however there is still lots to learn, especially when it comes to toxicity of plastic and microplastic pollution. Researchers are still working to understand the ecological risk of plastic and microplastic pollution in Lake Huron, as well as the risk to human health through drinking water, recreation, or fish consumption.
