LANSING, Mich. — Michigan is putting state money toward one of the murkier questions in water science: how much plastic too small to see is ending up in lakes, rivers and drinking water, and what to do about it.
The state environment department, known as EGLE, opened a call for pre-proposals Monday for roughly $422,816 in microplastics research grants. The money comes from a one-time appropriation by the Legislature set aside for research and recommendations on microplastic contamination, and the department says it will favor projects that fill holes in what is known about microplastics in surface water, drinking water or both.
Michigan universities, cities and other municipalities and municipal authorities can apply. Researchers from outside the state can also take part if they team up with a Michigan academic institution or local government on the work. Applications must be emailed to the department’s Water Resources Division by Dec. 14.
Federal environmental scientists define microplastics as plastic bits ranging from 5 millimeters, about the size of a pencil eraser, down to 1 nanometer. Some are made small on purpose for products such as cosmetics, while others shed from larger items like food wrap, tires and synthetic clothing. They have been detected in nearly every ecosystem studied, as well as in food, drinks and human and animal tissue.
A major hurdle, according to federal researchers, is that no single lab method can measure the full range of particle sizes and plastic types, which makes studies hard to compare. Better ways to collect, extract, count and identify the particles in water, sediment and aquatic life are among the needs they list.
