Unsurprisingly, Great Lakes Also Swimming In Plastic & Plastic Fragments
The Great Lakes are swimming with tiny specks of floating plastic, posing threats to both wildlife and human health. Adding to years of research that have already documented gyres of plastic pieces swirling in the oceans, the new study is the first to officially add the world's largest freshwater ecosystem to the list of natural places affected by plastic pollution.
As scientists continue to investigate how much plastic is out there, where it's coming from and how it's moving between lakes and from lakes to sea, the findings may eventually offer strategies for mitigating the problem.
"The reality is that all the plastic we see in the environment makes its way into the water, which means it's making its way ultimately into us," said Sherri Mason, an environmental chemist at SUNY Fredonia. "What we find in the lakes is coming from us, so we're the problem but we're also the solution.
"I always want to encourage people to be thinking about their own lives and what they can do," she added. "If they're not going to go out and clean up the beach, they can find ways to reduce plastic in their own lives, especially single-use plastics. Forgo the straw. Stop buying disposable plastic bottles. Bring reusable bags so you don't need to take plastic bags home."
EDIT
http://news.discovery.com/earth/great-lakes-plastic-bits-121128.html
