33. Microplastics in Our Waterways

Dr. Michael McKinney is the Director of Environmental Studies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I personally did microplastic research with him on invertebrates in local creeks and the Tennessee River. And now, he is teaching a course on microplastics at UTK along with his research. 

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that result from both commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics.  They are classified as less than 5 millimeters in diameter. The problem with microplastics is that—like plastic items of any size—they do not readily break down into harmless molecules. Plastics can take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose—and in the meantime, wreak havoc on the environment. They can be from sources such as synthetic clothing, fishing nets, food packaging, cosmetics, PPE, and so much more. There is still so much research being done about them and what dangers they impose.

With Dr. McKinney, we talk about his research on them, how washing clothes put microplastics into our waterways, how they affect wildlife and humans alike, bioaccumulation, and policy solutions.

Contact and connect with Dr. McKinney: mmckinne@utk.edu

Microplastic articles: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/microplastics/