Olivia Reda News Today

Plastic pollution threatens the health of humans and wildlife, and the well-being of the region's aquatic habitats and green spaces.

Plastic pollution threatens the health of humans and wildlife, and the well-being of the region's aquatic habitats and green spaces.

Plastic pollution threatens the health of humans and wildlife, and the well-being of the region's aquatic habitats and green spaces.

A report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes found that 86% of litter entering the lakes in a given year contains plastic.

ABC57 News in South Bend, Ind. covers all of Michiana including St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte and Marshall counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass, Van Buren and St. Joseph counties in Mich.

Microplastics threaten human health. Exposure to them, especially when consumed, involve an array of toxic effects, including reproductive problems, delays in immune responses and oxidative stress, according to a 2023 study published in Environment and Health Journal. 

The Great Lakes provide drinking water for 40 million people, yet 22 million pounds of plastic pollution ends up in them every year.

A group analyzed 20 years of beach cleanup data, finding that 86% of litter is composed at least partially of plastic.