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The Conversation
Environment
Lewis Alcott, Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Bristol

To address the growing issue of microplastics in the Great Lakes, we need to curb our consumption

Microplastics in the environment is a growing global problem. (Shutterstock)

You would be hard-pressed to find a corner of the world free from microplastics, plastic particles measuring less than five millimetres. They contaminate our drinking water, accumulate in the food we eat and have been found in the human body, including in blood, organs, placenta, semen and breast milk.

In April, delegates from across the world came together in Ottawa for the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution. The meeting offered a unique opportunity to identify strategies for addressing the human and environmental health impacts of plastics, including microplastics.

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