Plastic and microplastics in the lake
Plastic* reaches the lake as rubbish abandoned on the beaches, carried by the wind, from drain water or thrown directly into the lake: grocery bags, sweet wrappers, take-away dishes and cutlery, beach toys, fishing lines and nets together with cigarette butts are some of the easily recognisable objects. Scraps of similar articles get caught in the reeds, or are found mixed in the sand, pebbles and natural debris of the lake: with good will and patience a regular collection organised by the citizens, as well as one provided by the council, can clean the beaches of this rubbish. At least temporarily.
Something that can’t be eliminated, however, is that which can’t be seen, made up of smaller fragments of plastic, so-called microplastics.
What are microplastics?
They are particles of plastic materials smaller than 5mm. Some are particularly used in industry, such as the microspheres used in cosmetics, but mostly they come from the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic (e.g. textile fibres, tyres etc.).
What risks do they carry?
The fragments of plastic in the lake can prevent fish and birds from feeding and they risk suffocation.
They cause also other forms of damage in the food chain, from phyto- and zoo-plankton to us. Our food and drink contain in fact more and more particles of plastic.
• microplastics can be toxic and noxious. This is due to substances or organisms adsorbed by the particles, or contained in the plastic material itself as additives.
• the smallest particles can be integrated into cells and compromise their functionality. They can interfere with the hormonal and immune systems and also interact with genetic material.
What do we know about microplastics in the lake?
In 2016 Legambiente and the Lake Bolsena Association conducted a preliminary study of their concentration. There are on average 27,000 particles per km2. By comparison, in the ocean the density of microplastics is 65,000, in Lake Bracciano about 120,000 and in Lake Como 150,000. The largest number of particles in lakes is found close to river inlets or downstream of purification plant outfalls, all missing from our lake.
What can we do?
Reduce the use of disposable plastic. Choose where possible to buy products without plastic packaging. Use biodegradable products. Recycle and reuse plastic as many times as possible.
Join our campaign to clean the beaches!
* Plastic is an artificially produced polymer material. The most common
polymers are produced from substances derived from petroleum, but there are
also plastics developed from other sources.
