Microplastics Found in 100 Percent of Tested Pennsylvania waterways
Publication Date: March 3, 2021 | PennEnvironment
Philadelphia — At 53 waterways tested across Pennsylvania, microplastic contamination was found in every spot, from Lake Erie, Pittsburgh's Three Rivers and the Delaware River, according to a new report entitled Microplastics in Pennsylvania: a Survey of Waterways released Wednesday. The study was conducted by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center using methodology developed by NOAA.
The report provides new data on the presence of microplastics in water samples taken at many of Pennsylvania’s most popular rivers, lakes, and streams, from Lake Erie to the Delaware River.
Samples from all 53 popular Pennsylvania waterways had at least one type of microplastic contamination. Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in diameter, which is smaller than a grain of rice.
A full list of waterways tested and the types of microplastics at each can be found in the report.
“The results of this study should set off alarms for all Pennsylvanians who love our state's rivers and streams," said Faran Savitz, Conservation Associate at the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. "The staggering amount of microplastics we found likely means that no river, lake, or stream is safe from this increasingly common contaminant."
Along with the help of concerned citizens and elected officials across Pennsylvania, PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center staff collected water samples as part of the citizen-science project to identify plastic pollution in their local waterways.
