Microplastics Impacts

While plastic pollution is a major threat to oceans, there is growing awareness that tiny fragments of plastic are getting into so much more - from our tap water, to our agricultural soils, and certainly into the Great Lakes and Georgian Bay. As plastic use continues to intensify, and plastic litter assaults our enjoyment of natural landscapes, shorelines and water - there are enormous unknowns about the impacts of so many tiny fragments of plastics on the environment - including the food chain and animal and human health. With your support, Georgian Bay Forever will continue to work and partner to find answers and solutions to mitigate microplastic pollution in Georgian Bay.

[Updates added in November, 2019]

*An excerpt from Lisa Erdle's article in Georgian Bay Forever's Winter 2018 issue. Lisa Erdle is a PhD student in the Rochman Lab at the University of Toronto.

Given their ubiquity and small dimensions, the ingestion and impacts of microplastics are cause for concern. Over 220 species have been recorded as ingesting microplastics and include species ranging from microscopic, e.g., zooplankton, to megafauna, e.g., humpback whales. Microplastics also accumulate in food chains and reach humans through seafood consumption, e.g., mussels, fish and oysters.

Effects of microplastics are far-reaching. Researchers have investigated the impacts of microplastics on gene expression, individual cells, survival, and reproduction. Mounting evidence shows that negative impacts can include decreased feeding and growth, endocrine disruption, decreased fertility, as well as other lethal and sub-lethal effects. While some effects are due to ingestion stress, e.g., physical blockage, many risks to ecosystems are associated with the chemicals in plastic, either added to plastic as ingredients in production or absorbed from “chemical cocktails” in the surrounding environment.

Studies have shown that chemicals transfer to fish when they consume microplastics. When these fish end up on our dinner plates, we have the potential to increase the burden of hazardous chemicals in our bodies. However, it is unclear how microfibers may uniquely contribute to these contaminant burdens, since microfibers are often associated with distinct mixtures of chemicals used to manufacture fibers and clothing.

Microscopic pieces of plastic and fibres are getting into Georgian Bay through many methods including washing machines. Reduction is possible, but the method needs to be tested and there are ways you can help. GBF initiated a project starting in 2019 called Divert & Capture: The fight to keep microplastics out of our water, as noted by the Parry Sound North Star.

Its purpose is to better understand the impacts and try to quantify the amount that could be diverted. We believe this pilot project is the first of its kind in Canada - it involves working with 100 resident volunteers in the Town of Parry Sound.

The project has 3 overarching goals that are focused on improving the water quality specifically in coastal communities around Georgian Bay.

Physically divert microplastics/microfibres from entering our water at the source.

Engage the community in hands-on clean up

Provide the public with information on what microplastics are, why they are so harmful to the water and animals, how they affect the water quality and lastly, to provide practical tips they can employ easily to prevent their own advancements to the issue.

What's been done?

In short, about 100 volunteer households in Parry Sound agreed to install a filter on their washing machines - the filter catches fibres before they are washed down the drain. The volunteers will be accumulating the fibre guck and handing the guck samples to GBF over a year (the first pick-up happened in November 2019). Participants would then be asked to participate for another year.

GBF, working with the University of Toronto Rochman Lab, will analyze the samples by weighing the amount of plastic/fibres that have been successfully diverted. GBF is also looking at the makeup (the chemicals) of the fibres within some of the samples. We continue to also work with the Town to capture and monitor, analyze and weigh the effluent from the waste water treatment facility in order to better understand the scope and breadth of the diverted substances.

Currently, water treatment plants capture an estimated 90% of these tiny particles (most commonly shed through washing clothes such as fleece), leaving 10% to escape into our water. We have estimated based on research quantities outlined in Ms. Erdle’s report, that a possible 58, 880,000 pieces of microfibers could be entering the water from permanent Parry Sound residents (based on a population of 6400 doing one load of laundry every other day). And even more alarming is that in the summer months, the population explodes to over 60,000 seasonal residents.

Also, more research is pointing to the volume of microfibres being dispersed in the air, where they can reach all sorts of environments including water bodies and as far as the Arctic. A source could be your dryer where microfibers are bypassing internal lint traps and being emitted into the air. A selection of volunteers will be testing the effectiveness of external lint filters attached to the exhaust pipe of the dryer.

SEE the summer 2019 update on the progress of the Parry Sound source diversion part of the project in our Fall 2019 newsletter. Click here for the" Divert and Capture" 1 page update.

Other activities continue to include providing educational worksheets and facts and to organize community cleanups of public and private spaces. We engage community residents and cottagers alike along the coastal communities of Georgian Bay and provide relevant information on the potential hazards of microplastics/fibres in our waters, and our food chain while. At the same time, we give practical solutions that will help build a foundation of knowledgeable, engaged environmental stewards.

Additionally, mobilizing community volunteers, including youth, throughout the year, to participate in cleaning up public shorelines, waterways and beaches and work with cottage communities and residents is a focus to ensure they can provide us information on litter types, and work towards making their own properties and favourite places litter free.

SEE the summer 2019 1 page update on shoreline cleanup findings in our Fall 2019 newsletter. Click here for "Top 12 Litter Items You Picked Up From Georgian Bay Shorelines.

Your funding support is valued

Current and anticipated projects like this one cannot happen without support from donors, partners and other funders. Every dollar raised helps us to move critical projects forward and helps to leverage opportunities where matching funds are a necessary requirement. Your donations work hard and we truly appreciate each and every dollar given!