On Tuesday, September 9, Dr. Donna Kashian—Director of Environmental Science at Wayne State University, and RCE Detroit–Windsor faculty member—and Samantha Pickering, a Wayne State UN RCE Fellow and public health policy coordinator for the Michigan Environmental Council, testified before the Michigan Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture.
The proposed bill package—sponsored by Sen. Sue Shink (D–Northfield Twp), Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D–Livonia), and Sen. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor)—seeks to stop microplastics at the source, establish a statewide monitoring program, and build long-term strategies to protect public health, the Great Lakes, and Michigan’s economy.
“Microplastics are everywhere—from the deepest ocean trenches to the fish in our Great Lakes, from bottled water and beer to the human placenta,” said Dr. Kashian. “Every month, new research emerges linking microplastics to health concerns—from neurological effects like dementia to disruptions in photosynthesis, the process that produces the oxygen we breathe.”
Pickering added a human health perspective: “Microplastics are not only a persistent threat to our waterways and ecosystems but also to human health. Many short- and long-term impacts remain unknown. These tiny particles have been found in marine life, drinking water, and even the air we breathe. Michiganders serve as guardians of the Great Lakes that provide drinking water to over 40 million people, so it’s important to establish research strategies—like those in these bills—to build a foundation for understanding this emerging contaminant.”
Both Kashian and Pickering stressed the urgency of action: microplastic pollution threatens not only ecosystems but also Michigan’s economy, which depends on clean water for recreation, tourism, and fisheries worth billions annually. Michigan steps-up hunt for microplastic pollution in state waters – mlive.com
