Microplastics found throughout Minnesota lakes, new report finds
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Microplastics seem to be nearly everywhere and a recently released survey finds they’re in Minnesota lakes as well.
The survey comes from Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center, an affiliate of the national public interest advocacy group PIRG. Following a protocol put out by microplastic scientists, staff and volunteers examined 40 waterways throughout Minnesota and identified microplastics in every lake sampled.
Melissa Maurer-Jones, an associate professor in University of Minnesota, Duluth’s chemistry and biochemistry department, said she was not surprised by the findings.
“The reality is, we live in a plastic world,” Maurer-Jones said. “Lots of things that we use every day or wear on our bodies contain plastics. And just by the simple fact that there’s lots of uses of plastics, it means that small microplastics shed from these things and end up in our environmental systems.”
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Katelynn Rolfes, a conservation advocate with Environment Minnesota, authored the survey, which was released on Thursday. The microplastics they found were mostly plastic fibers, so small the naked eye can hardly see it. They didn’t find any plastic microbeads, which have been banned since 2015 in personal care products.
She agreed that the results weren’t surprising, but she found it sobering. She hopes their research sets off alarm bells and spurs Minnesotans to take action.
“Nothing that we use for only a couple of minutes should be present in our world, in our environment, for hundreds of years,” Rolfes said.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, microplastics have been found in every ecosystem on the planet, including in food, beverages, and human and animal tissue. A study published earlier this year found that microplastics are even accumulating in human brains.
Microplastics are a growing area of concern for scientists around the world. And there’s still a lot of unknowns. But, Maurer-Jones said they’re starting to understand that they could potentially cause problems.
Plastic isn’t going away, but Minnesotans can look for ways to limit the plastic materials they use and make sure they are properly disposed. Maurer-Jones said one step local governments could take would be to find ways to limit the amount of single-use plastic bags.
She encouraged Minnesotans to pay attention as more research comes out.
“Fresh water systems are not as well studied as some of the marine systems, and we’re only catching up now,” Maurer-Jones said. “The more we know about what’s happening and what influences the number of particles that we’re finding in these systems will help us be more strategic in trying to eliminate, reduce, or remediate some of this waste.”
Fortunately, she said Minnesotans likely don’t have to be concerned about swimming in lakes. As long as you’re not drinking too much lake water by accident, swimmers will only have a minor skin exposure, which should not cause any major health problems.
“Your exposure to microplastics in lakes — I don’t know if it’s going to be on the same level as what you would be exposed to if you are eating something from a Styrofoam takeout container.”
Correction (Oct. 20, 2025): An earlier version of this story misidentified Katelyn Rolfes' title with Environment Minnesota. The story has been updated.
