![\"Julius](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/7cd84b0c5d2b0bdf18ae4f2811af3dfbe0a2115dd8e549393f91733dffbf8c9c.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n For every kilogram of sediment in two Brisbane creeks, there are more than 4000 tiny pieces of potentially harmful plastic<\/a>, a new study has found.<\/p>\n Queensland University of Technology<\/a> researchers dredged sludge from Kedron Brook, Enoggera and Bulimba creeks four times over a year in 2024, with roughly 4400 plastic particles found in one kilogram of Kedron Brook\u2019s sediment.<\/p>\n Approximately 4100 particles were found in the same amount of Bulimba Creek\u2019s mud, while Enoggera was the cleanest of the three, with 2800 pieces of plastic per kilogram.<\/p>\n Microplastics are ubiquitous and can be found in water, earth and in the air. As a result, the broken down plastics have been discovered in every human tissue type, and while the health threats are not fully understood, it has been linked to colon and lung cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n PhD candidate Heshani Mudalige said the amount of plastics found in the three Brisbane creeks depended on the gradient, the seasons, and where the creek flowed.<\/p>\n \u201cKedron Brook\u2019s microplastic load is strongly influenced by its running through commercial and industrial areas, including the Brisbane Airport precinct,\u201d she said, noting that the creek\u2019s highest load was in March following heavy summer rains.<\/p>\n Mudalige said impervious areas in the Kedron catchment likely brought more microplastics into the creek.<\/p>\n She said Enoggera likely had the lowest load because the creek\u2019s flow was regulated by the dam.<\/p>\n Mudalige said 2021 research on the Brisbane River had found about 500 items of plastic per kilo of sediment.<\/p>\n Editor’s pick She said it was the first time Kedron Brook sediment had been tested for microplastics.<\/p>\n Associate Professor Prasanna Egodawatta said the study would fuel future research into how microplastics moved through Brisbane\u2019s urban water systems.<\/p>\n \u201cThis study is a first step towards quantifying land-based microplastic inputs to Moreton Bay via the stormwater pathway,\u201d Egodawatta said.<\/p>\n While the three creeks do not flow into water treatment plants that could lead to human consumption, Mudalige said the plastics could still pose a danger if they reached the sea.<\/p>\n The findings of the QUT research were published in the journal Environmental Pollution.<\/p>\n Mudalige is also working on tracking the amount of PFAS \u201cforever chemicals\u201d and heavy metals in the three creeks, with papers to be published in the near future.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Heshani](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0e523510677c658ad0341b56204173ac3904b17e6b75631810c79be65fea2dd8.jpeg\")
Heshani Mudalige uses a van veen grab sampler to test the sediment.QUT<\/p>\n![\"Kedron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14c5b4385ce49205f0b7ce8a5e0bca12dc04dbb1d0a8296028e66e4aada1d8a7.jpeg\")
Kedron Brook runs through Brisbane\u2019s inner-north.Brisbane City Council<\/p>\n![\"Exposure](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a44f97cd18985ef694c6c187c9eed753cad370b1.jpeg\")
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