Plastic Pollution in Lake Erie: A Decade of Increase

In July 2024, Sherri Mason, who directs a freshwater research program at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, returned to Lake Erie aboard the U.S. EPA's Lake Guardian research vessel, discovering a dramatic increase in plastic pollution compared to her initial findings in 2014.

Mason's research revealed that microplastics, tiny plastic particles comparable to a grain of rice or smaller, had proliferated across all five sampling sites. The Central Basin, extending north from Cleveland towards Canada, showed significant increases, with the volume of plastic per square kilometer near Cleveland doubling to 98,000 particles.

Further out, numbers rose from 38,000 to 92,000 particles per square kilometer, while the site closest to Canada recorded a startling 188,000 particles, up from just 16,000. The most alarming figures emerged near the Pennsylvania coast, where Mason found over 700,000 particles per square kilometer, compared to only 19,000 in 2014.

In Long Point, Canada, particle counts exceeded 500,000, a substantial rise from 9,500. Mason noted that the eastern portion of the lake had higher plastic concentrations due to prevailing currents. Jill Bartolotta, an emerging contaminants specialist at Ohio State University's Sea Grant program, emphasized that the accumulation of plastics on beaches tends to increase after heavy rain events, which are becoming more intense due to climate change.

Another contributor to the rising plastic levels is atmospheric deposition, where plastics in the air settle into the lake. Bartolotta indicated that plastic pollution exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to the widespread use of single-use personal protective equipment.

Mason utilized a trawling net to collect surface samples, but she warned that plastic pollution is likely more extensive at the lake's bottom. She stated that plastics tend to sink as they accumulate organic matter.

Both Mason and Bartolotta, along with other experts, are raising alarms about the detrimental effects of plastic on human health, particularly through inhalation and ingestion. They advocate for stricter regulations on plastic production, especially for non-essential items.

Mason plans to conduct additional surveys, and the International Joint Commission, a collaborative effort between the United States and Canada to manage boundary waters, has called for regular monitoring of microplastics in the Great Lakes, highlighting the urgent need for action against plastic pollution in these vital freshwater ecosystems.