"More than 40 million people in the United States and Canada depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Each glass of treated lake water is laden with tiny bits of plastic — microplastics — made of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases. Also contaminated are fish, staples of Midwestern fish fries and fish boils, and an important part of the diet of Indigenous tribes, certain immigrant populations and communities of color.

Yet this pollution isn’t regulated, and manufacturers are moving to dramatically increase the amount of plastics produced in the United States.

The Chicago Tribune is exploring the plastics dilemma with a focus on the Great Lakes, the world’s largest source of fresh surface water. When confronted about their pollution, industry executives often have blamed consumers, using tactics borrowed from and shared with Big Tobacco, according to a Tribune review of thousands of government, scientific and internal industry documents."

Michael Hawthorne reports for the Chicago Tribune August 19, 2026. [2] This coverage, supported by the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. initiative, will delve into the spread of plastic waste in the Great Lakes, research into health hazards and possible solutions.