Alarming levels of microplastics detected in freshwater lakes globally

Nava and her international team collected samples from these lakes spread across 23 countries and six continents, representing a broad range of environmental conditions. The plastic found in these lakes, larger than 250 microns, primarily originated from textiles and clothing, including polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Lake Tahoe, along with Lakes Lugano and Maggiore at the Swiss-Italian border, exhibited higher microplastic concentrations than even the ocean gyres, recognised for significant plastic accumulation, as per the research.

Two categories of lakes were found especially prone to plastic contamination: those in densely populated regions and larger lakes with more potential points of plastic deposit. Despite not being densely populated, Lake Tahoe emerged as an outlier due to its high plastic concentration. This calls for further investigation into the mysterious routes through which microplastics are infiltrating these freshwater ecosystems.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DP)