Monica Arienzo, an associate research professor in the division of hydrologic sciences at the Desert Research Institute, defined microplastics as particles ranging from five millimeters to as small as one micron.<\/p>\n
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Lake Tahoe from the Mount Rose Highway scenic overlook.Katherine Fulwider \/ KUNR<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s basically like the size of a pencil eraser \u2026 down to about the size of bacteria,\u201d Arienzo said.<\/p>\n
Microplastics originate from various sources that are difficult to identify, Arienzo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yeah, in our research, we are really interested in understanding sources, and then also, where are they? Where are these plastics in the environment? And where are they going in the environment?\u201d Arienzo said.<\/p>\n
Carina Seitz, research assistant professor in the department of biology at UNR, said that a previous study<\/a> has paved the way for her current research.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was one study in particular that assessed microplastics around the world. And Lake Tahoe was one of these lakes, and they found that Lake Tahoe was the third lake with a higher concentration of microplastics, \u201d Seitz said.<\/p>\n She said her research aims to complement existing studies and to understand how larger plastic fragments break down into smaller particles and how that affects the lake\u2019s ecosystem.<\/p>\n What sets this research apart is the focus on microplastics smaller than 20 microns. A particle of that size may be barely visible to the naked eye or require a microscope to see.<\/p>\n Li Li, an associate professor of public health at UNR, said that researching microplastics below 20 microns is vital to understanding potential human health impacts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important for us to measure these very small, very tiny microplastics, because compared to the larger ones, they are more likely to get into the human body and more likely to stay there for a longer time,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n Once microplastics enter the human body, they circulate throughout the system<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can go with the blood and circulate in your body and reach every single corner of your body. And because they are so small, they have the chance to go through barriers, like the blood-brain barrier,\u201d Li said, \u201cand when they get there, they will stay in your brain, and there is no way for you to get rid of them.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Li said he isn\u2019t immediately concerned about Lake Tahoe despite it being a source of drinking water<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe level we find in the Lake Tahoe water is too low to cause significant exposure to human beings. My personal understanding is the level we find so far is not enough to trigger public concern over the Reno area,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n Research finds that microplastics in the human body don\u2019t necessarily indicate immediate health issues, which the general public may misunderstand, according to Li.<\/p>\n What is more concerning to Li is the chemicals that microplastics may carry.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you take the microplastics, you also take these chemicals into your body. So this is very common for pesticides. [You] use a pesticide separately from the plastics, right? But when they get into the environment, they tend to combine with each other,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n He said that understanding the health impacts of microplastics requires long-term studies.<\/p>\n Arienzo said that the plastic pollution issue has one major solution.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that we will not recycle our way out of this problem of plastic pollution. I believe that the best thing we can do to reduce plastic pollution and microplastics in our waterways, in our environment, is to eliminate the use of plastics,\u201d Arienzo said.<\/p>\n