Threat of Microplastics Topic of Healing Our Waters Meeting

By Angelica Morrison

It’s day two of the Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Buffalo New York. Hundreds are learning about problems that affect the lakes, including microplastics.

They’re the smallest of the small. And, they end up in the bellies of fish throughout the Great Lakes basin. Microplastics can even be found in our drinking water.

It’s an issue that Sherri Mason, a chemistry professor atFredonia University, has been following closely.   She says when it comes to prevention, it all starts with the small things people do every day.
 
“Every piece of plastic that we find out in the external environment ultimately comes from us," she said. "By reducing our individual use of plastic we can reduce what we find in the environment and the impact it has.”
 
Reducing use of plastic would include remembering your reusable bags when you’re at the grocery store, bringing a reusable cup when buying coffee, or not using straws when you’re going out.