Every year, 11.6 million pounds of plastic trash makes its way into Lake Michigan, Chicago’s largest source of drinking water.
Even as the city tries to tackle this issue, it means that microplastics — the tiniest pieces — pass through the cities’ filtration systems and into our faucets.
Researchers have found that ingesting plastics can have detrimental effects on our cognitive abilities, fertility and overall cardiovascular health. And there’s no end in sight, with the projected exponential growth of plastic production tripling by 2050.
“This is a huge problem that we need to address at a systemic level,” Illinois Environmental Council senior policy manager Gabby Plotkin said.
Right now, she added, municipal filters can’t remove microplastics.
“The only way to do that would be on an individual level, like buying a filter that particularly addresses microplastics,” Plotkin said. “That’s why we’re pushing for policy changes.”
Plotkin, Prins and Sargis said the City Hall was receptive to them and their colleagues’ advocating for a single-use plastic ban in Chicago.
As Chicagoans await for action from the city, they all urged us to do what we can to limit our own plastic intake and spread the word on the dangers associated with microplastics.
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