The plastic pollution crisis in Lake Erie is far worse than previously thought, and what we’re seeing now may just be the beginning of a much larger problem.
On Monday’s episode of Today in Ohio, the podcast team discussed reporter Pete Krouse’s story expanding on his earlier reporting on a staggering increase in microplastics in the lake over the past decade.
“The big takeaway from his reporting is that Lake Erie didn’t get flooded with plastic from one dramatic disaster. It’s really death by a thousand cuts,” said Leila Atassi. She said the plastic arrives from myriad sources as it deteriorates and breaks into tiny pieces.
The source is no mystery: People. Using and discarding plastic products starts the flow that eventually puts the tiny pieces into the lake. The pollution comes from multiple sources: plastic bags, bottles, coffee cups, cigarette butts, construction foam, and even tiny industrial pellets called “nurdles” that spill from trains and trucks.
“What is a little bit frightening about this because it does take time to break plastic down into these tiny particles,’ Said Chris Quinn. “Is this plastic that was discarded 20 years ago that’s just broken down now. And so all of the recent plastic that’s gotten out there will just exacerbate this in the future?”
In other words, even if all plastic pollution stopped today, would we still be dealing with the breakdown of existing pollution for decades? That’s a scary thought, considering how much more plastic has entered the environment in recent years compared to previous decades.
The episode highlighted information gaps. Scientists don’t fully know how the microplastics move through the Great Lakes ecosystem, why some areas are more contaminated than others, or exactly where all the plastic ends up. What is clear, however, is that much of it isn’t floating on the surface—it’s either sitting on the lake bottom or has been ingested by fish.
Population density plays a major role in pollution levels, with Lake Erie having nearly 12 million people in its watershed. As Atassi noted, “Some lakes look worse than others, largely because of population. For the most part, more people means more plastic.”
“This is a frightening story because this is where we get our drinking water,” Quinn said.
Listen to the discussion here.
Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.