By Mary Velan
Gov1
New research found the San Francisco Bay is full of billions of tiny pieces of plastic that are contaminating its waters. The concentration of plastic pollutants in the Bay far exceeds that found in other major bodies of water in the U.S. such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay.
The San Francisco Estuary Institute revealed at least 3.9 million pieces of plastic are released from eight large sewage treatment plants into the bay each day. These plastic microbeads can be found in a variety of household items including cosmetics, toothpastes and synthetic clothing fabric. Once the microbeads enter the Bay, wildlife become contaminated - which increases the risk of people consuming the pollutants through the fish they eat, Mercury News reported.
The researchers found an average one million pieces of tiny plastic per square kilometer when dragging mesh nets across the surface of the water in South Bay. This pollution concentration is nine times higher than levels of other plastics in Lake Erie. Off Oakland and San Francisco, researchers reported 310,000 pieces per square kilometer, which is still triple the levels found in Lake Erie. A few fish were accidentally captured while samples were taken, and researchers found an average of six pieces of plastic in the animals, Mercury News reported.
Past studies of plastic pollutants in bodies of water indicate the materials can absorb contaminants and accumulate in fish when they are consumed. These fish are then eaten by larger fish, which are then eaten by humans. Thus, people become exposed to the plastic and chemical contaminants in the process, Mercury News reported.
One reason why the amount of plastic microbeads in the water has reached such high levels is because the water treatment plants feeding into the Bay were designed to treat sewage. Tiny plastic debris can easily pass through the filtration systems. Furthermore, plastic has been found floating into the Bay from storm drains, creeks and illegal dumping activities, Mercury News reported.
Retrofitting all the area’s water treatment plants with the fine membranes needed to catch the microbeads would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the Bay Area Clean Water Agencies reported. Therefore, state lawmakers passed a bill earlier this month that bans plastic microbeads in cosmetics and other personal care items, which would go into effect in 2020. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to avoid using products with microbeads in them to help alleviate the problem, Mercury News reported.