WATERS OF WASTE
Step aboard the tall ship Pathfinder to get a better look at toll plastic pollution is taking on Lake Ontario,
Dropping the net Petty officer Megan Gibbs helps secure the net that will collect Erdle’s samples. While microplastics have been studied extensively in oceans, little research has been done in fresh water ecosystems.
“We still don’t know a lot about how many plastics are out there and what effects they have,” Erdle says. Inspecting what’s left Once everything has been rinsed, Erdle places the remaining matter in an alcohol-filled jar. On a cursory glance, she sees plastics of several different shapes and colours, including Styrofoam and microbeads.
“We need to be more careful about how we deal with plastic waste,” Erdle says. “We need to use . . . plastic more mindfully.” Trawling for plastics With 330 micron mesh, the Neuston net, which trails just below the water’s surface, captures nearly everything that enters its mouth. Erdle is hunting for microplastics — anything from microbeads in personal care products to deteriorated plastic fibres to fragments of synthetic textiles that have broken off clothing in washing machines. Plastics in the water “All of the samples that we’ve pulled up so far have had plastics, which is a little bit frightening,” Erdle says of this year’s research. “And those are just what we can see with the naked eye.”
Samples are to be sent to the lab to determine exactly how much plastic is really present. Rinsing the net After 10 minutes of slow cruising, the net is hauled in using the ship’s rigging. The exterior is rinsed with filtered lake water before the compartment at its bottom is opened.
“We don’t know the long-term consequences of them, but we suspect that they’re not good for the ecosystem,” Erdle says of microplastics. What’s been captured The net collects nearly everything that enters it, including seaweed, plastic wrappers and pieces of tinfoil. Erdle empties the net’s contents into a sieve.
Plankton, Erdle says, can eat microplastics, clogging up their stomachs. When larger fish eat smaller plankton-eating fish, the plastics accumulate in the food chain. A tiny blue bead A blue microbead sits on the tip of Erdle’s finger. Beads such as this, which are often used in products such as toothpaste and body wash, are too small to be captured by waste-water filters once flushed.
“Microbeads are just a senseless thing,” Erdle says. “They’re just a cheap filler, but they have long-lasting consequences.” Washing debris Once the net is rinsed, the Pathfinder’s crew helps Erdle sort through the sample. Large pieces of organic matter are rinsed with filtered water above a sieve before being thrown out. Big pieces of plastic are removed and saved. Microplastics and other small matter are collected in the bottom of the sieve. Banning the bead In March, the federal NDP introduced a motion to have microbeads added to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act’s list of toxic substances; it passed unanimously. A Liberal MP has also introduced a private member’s bill that calls for prohibiting the sale of cosmetics containing such plastics. A similar bill has been introduced at Queen’s Park.