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Is Tennessee water full of microplastics? Where researchers are looking for answers

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Is Tennessee water full of microplastics? Where researchers are looking for answers

Microplastics, tiny bits of plastic, are everywhere. They are in oceans, the soil and in the air. Microplastics have been found in foods like honey and salt and in the seafood we eat. Now researchers at Tennessee Tech University are investigating the presence of microplastics, which measure 5 millimeters or less, in the waters of Tennessee.

The research is some of the most in-depth work yet on microplastics in the state.

Most studies of microplastics have focused on oceans and estuaries. Caroline Hitchcock, a graduate student in environmental engineering at Tennessee Tech, and associate professor Tania Datta are looking at how many microplastics pass through wastewater treatment plants in the state.

“Wastewater treatment plants are really a reflection of what we as humans are disposing,” Datta said.

Tennessee has roughly 200 wastewater treatment plants. The majority of those, according to Datta, serve small, rural communities.

The researchers are looking at three plants of different sizes throughout the state. They want to understand better if the plants are removing microplastics or adding to the amount of microplastics in Tennessee’s waters.

The dangers of microplastics

Microplastics, and even smaller nanoplastics, have been found in our livers, kidneys, blood, saliva and even brains. The effects on human health are still being investigated.

A study released last month found microplastics in the testes of both men and dogs indicating that these microplastic particles could affect human fertility.

Microplastics may also delay development in children and could cause cancer.

Fish and other marine life can also ingest microplastics in water. Researchers have found that microplastics can make aquatic animals swim slower, absorb fewer nutrients, reproduce less and even die. And when people eat seafood, they can absorb those microplastics into their bodies.

“Tennessee has some of the most biodiverse rivers and streams in the entire United States,” Datta said.

Some of those species in Tennessee’s waters, such as more than 40 different varieties of freshwater mussels, are on the federal endangered list. Microplastics could further damage these animals.

How polluted are Tennessee waters?

In 2019, German professor Andreas Fath made news by swimming the full length of the Tennessee River. He made the swim to draw attention to water pollution, and his analysis of the samples taken along the 652-mile trip found high levels of microplastics.

This current research by Tennessee Tech will expand on that, as some of the first rigorous studies of microplastics in Tennessee wastewater treatment plants.

The study should be completed this year and the results will be released in the spring.

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