Environmental Justice

Great Lakes and Minnesota

The Great Lakes make up around 20% of the world’s freshwater. It is quite obvious that these lakes are a crucial natural resource for not only the Midwest region but also the entire country. Plastic pollution is prevalent around the world, in both oceans and freshwater sources. The very nature of microbeads, however, poses a specific threat to freshwater environments.  Microbeads are designed to go down the drain and through the filtration systems. The densely populated shorelines of the Great Lakes are a perfect way for these plastic beads to make their way to the water in large quantities.  Because of the more secluded reality of the Great Lakes, microplastics are more condensed than they are in oceans. According to Winter’s article, in the December 2013 Marine Pollution Bulletin, it was found that there was an average of 17,000 microbeads per square kilometer in Lake Michigan.

These findings were partially sparked by a major research expedition in 2012.  The lead researcher was Sherri Mason, a professor at State University of New York.  Mason, along with a team from SUNY and the organization 5 Gyres, collected 21 samples of water from the various Great Lakes.  They found large amounts of various plastic pollutants, including microbeads.¹  They compared these beads to the ones found in common products like toothpaste and facial scrub and realized they were an exact match.  Mason's research has unveiled the mystery of these beads and has shown to society, industry, and consumers that everyday products are making there way to our most precious water sources.

“I’m interested in learning more about what happens to persistent organic pollutants when they attach to the plastic particles.”


Chemist Lorena Rios-Mendoza announced that her team found 1,500 to 1.7 million plastic particles per square mile within their research in the Great Lakes. Currently, Lorena Rios is collaborating with Sherri Mason and 5 Gyers Institute, studying the variations of plastic within different bodies of water including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. During Rios research on the Great Lakes, she did not find any microbeads within the fish she sampled in Lake Superior. However, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has found plastic within the yellow perch fish. Findings have not yet been published. Rios and her team will continue to research fish diet and analyze fish guts for plastic consumption within these Great Lakes.

Microbeads, although small, accumulate and make huge environmental impacts on the ecosystems in the Great Lakes.

Jennifer Daley, PHD studies stressors on ecosystems, specifically focusing on the Great Lakes. ​“At this point the literature tells us that plastics can absorb and concentrate pollutants,” Daley said. “Degraded plastics can leach chemical additives — bisphenol A, phthalates, flame retardants. This is an important fact to keep in mind because it explains how microplastics chemically react within the Great Lakes.  It is not just the plastics that pose a threat, but also the chemicals that they might have absorbed once they reach the water.

Daley suggests that ingested microplastics could have both behavioral and morphological effects on aquatic organisms. They could hinder mobility, reduce vigor, block intestines and gastric enzyme secretions, diminish feeding stimulus, hamper breathing and delay ovulation.


During her research in 2013, Daley and her team were not able to find any microbeads within the fish they studied. However, Daley believes they are at the early stages for research on understanding how microbeads impact organisms. Scientist are not only looking at fish but also looking into other organisms such as bottom feeders within the Great Lakes.

1. Eriksen, Marcus, Sherri Mason, Stiv Wilson, Carolyn Box, Ann Zellers, William Edwards, Hannah Farley, and Stephen Amato. 2013. Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the laurentian great lakes.Marine Pollution Bulletin 77)1-2): 177-82

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