In 2012, a study completed in the Great Lakes showed that there were over 450,000 bits per square kilometer. That seems like few when you think of a square kilometer, however the disturbing thing was that this was twice what had ever been measured before! The question was “What were they?”. Under further investigation, they proved to be microbeads. The use of microbeads in cosmetics, toothpaste and other commercial products has increased tremendously. They say that there are 356,000 beads in one 4.2 oz tube of facial scrub!
In the British Channel, 36.5 % of the fish have plastic within their gastrointestinal tracts!