The “pristine” Charleston estuary waters in South Carolina, are in worse shape than most people think. At least 7- ½ tons worse.
That’s how much plastic is estimated to be breaking down in the tide and waves of Charlestown Harbor, its tidal rivers and creeks. The total comes from a study by a research team from The Citadel. The assessment doesn’t even gauge how much of that plastic already has come apart into microscopic fragments, fibers or balls.
Nobody knows yet how far the wastes degrade water quality or human health, but troubling studies of the impact on marine life are starting to emerge. Sooner or later, a portion of the plastic waste gets eaten by marine critters such as shrimp. It can kill them, or be eaten by humans.