Coordination To Monitor Great Lakes Microplastics Proposed By International Joint Commission Science Advisory Board

by Bob Montgomery

Microplastics are present in all five of the Great Lakes, but there is no coordinated, basin wide effort to monitor and report on the status of plastic pollution.

In a new report, the International Joint Commission ’s Great Lakes Science Advisory Board proposes regional coordination to systematically measure Great Lakes microplastics. They're hosting a one-hour public webinar on the report’s findings on Wednesday, February 12th.

International Joint Commission Public Affairs Specialist Allison Voglesong Zejnati says the experts who prepared the report will be on hand to answer questions about the report, some of the best practices for sampling microplastics and what we know about microplastics in the Great Lakes. They will also go over their recommendations from the report.

Voglesong Zejnati says there are two specific things the American and Canadian governments have to work on. One is to evaluate the status of microplastics in the Great Lakes and then take action to stem the flow of microplastics into the lakes. She says on the latter point the board is recommending, Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, that microplastics become what's called a chemical of mutual concern, in this case a contaminate. She says what the governments have done with other chemicals of mutual concerns, like mercury and PCB’s, is have a coordinated plan that outlines what they can do to reduce the amount of those chemicals in the Great Lakes. By making microplastics a concerning substance, the governments can then proceed with a plan to address the pollution.

“Plastic is a part of modern life and pervasive throughout the Great Lakes ecosystem,” said Rebecca Rooney, Canadian co-chair of the Science Advisory Board’s Research Coordination Committee. “Yet, the monitoring and reporting on microplastics is largely project-based. The board offers actionable tools to help the Canadian and US governments take a common and routine approach to monitoring microplastics,” added Rooney. The report suggests specific frameworks for standardized sampling methods and risk-based management. 

The one hour webinar starts at one o'clock on Wednesday, February 12th. It's free, but registration is required. Register here.