KITCHENER -- Microplastics have found their way into freshwater sources and marine wildlife, according to researchers at the University of Guelph.
Their research found tiny particles of plastic, known as microplastics, have been found in fresh water mussels in the Grand River.
"We found microplastics in all of the mussels we sampled," assistant Prof. Ryan Prosser said. "We sampled from West Montrose all the way down to Glen Morris."
Prosser was part of a group of researchers from the university that sampled mussels at six different locations along the Grand River.
"We are finding this isn't an ocean issue," Prosser said. "These microplastics we are finding in fresh water rivers and lakes."
Prosser said he's concerned about what this build-up could mean for animals living there.
"How many microplastics do you need to find in the fish before it's going to start to have an adverse effect on the fish's health or fish's ability to reproduce," Prosser said.
Microplastics are any piece of plastic under five millimetres in length. They can come from a variety of sources.
"Anywhere where there is plastic, there's a chance it can get into our environment," said Trevor Brown, the manager of engineering and wastewater programs with the Region of Waterloo.
The microplastics could come from the deterioration of large pieces of plastic or polyester clothing shed into waste water.
The Kitchener Waste Water Treatment Plant works to remove these plastics.
"We do take out the majority of it, but there is the possibility that it could pass through this system," Brown said.
Prosser said plastics are likely here for the long haul.
"These particles of this material that take hundreds or a thousand years to break down," Prosser said.
