Even our Groundwater Has Microplastics...by Rosa Domingos | 19-02-2019 15:18 |
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 This could mean we're drinking our plastic waste. It seems to me that there is absolutely no part of the planet safe from the scourge that is mIcRoPlAsTiCs. Not only are they found floating in the air and in deep ocean trenches, but now a study from the University of Illinois has revealed that aquifers, which supply up to 25% of the world's population with drinking water, are contaminated, too. So basically... How much is there and where does it come from? The researchers took 17 groundwater samples from boreholes and springs. As a press release explains, 11 came from a highly fractured limestone aquifer near the St. Louis metropolitan area and six from an aquifer containing much smaller fractures in rural northwestern Illinois, in the United States of America. Every sample, but one contained microplastic particles, with a maximum concentration of 15 particles per liter. These concentrations are said to be comparable to those of surface water concentrations found in the rivers and streams in the Chicago area. How does an aquifer get contaminated? Study co-author John Scott explained that "groundwater flows through the cracks and voids in limestone, sometimes carrying sewage and runoff from roads, landfills and agricultural areas into the aquifers below." Because the samples also contained traces of pharmaceuticals and other household contaminants, it seems likely that the particles originated in household septic systems. "Imagine how many thousands of polyester fibers find their way into a septic system from just doing a load of laundry. Then consider the potential for those fluids to leak into the groundwater supply, especially in these types of aquifers where surface water interacts so readily with groundwater," said by Scott The researchers suggest that the findings cannot be interpreted in great detail, as there is very little data on microplastics in groundwater. So far, it is not known what the impacts about microplastics on our bodies are, so there¡¯s no concentration that¡¯s deemed unsafe or illegal. There is something deeply disturbing about the thought of drinking plastic waste in a glass of water. It goes to show how Earth's systems are deeply interconnected and how there is no 'away', and... Just because waste is out of sight does not mean it's not there, and it will come back to haunt us. It is more important than ever to support research in this area and to take personal steps to minimize our impact, whether it's buying all-natural fabrics instead of synthetics, washing clothes less frequently, taking steps to capture microfiber waste in the washing machine, and hang-drying. Reference: Martinko., K. 2019. Even groundwater is contaminated with microplastics. [Online]. Available: https://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/amp/even-groundwater-contaminated-microplastics.html. Feb 1, 2019. Accessed: Feb 18, 2019.
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