The presence of hydrophobic organic pollutants is an environmental issue because of their toxicity and persistence in the same way that plastic debris is a constant pollutant on beaches and water bodies around the planet. The production of cheap plastic items is massive. The incidence and accumulation of microplastics create significant risks to the ocean and now in the Great Lakes environment because of the known potential of these microplastics to adsorb persistent organic pollutants that can harm aquatic organisms. This is the first study that provides a basic assessment of the pollution caused by plastic debris in the Great Lakes waters. The results presented are from 4 of 22 samples collected from July 12 to July 29, 2012 on the Great Lakes as well as 13 samples collected on the South Atlantic Ocean. The plastic debris collected was classified by color, size, and chemical composition of the synthetic polymer.

Plastics are invading not only the ocean but also the Great Lakes

245th National Meeting (2013)

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