NATIONAL, (WOWO) — Microfibers are plastic strings much thinner than a human hair, and they get into waterways mostly through fabrics that are washed in washing machines.

Bridge Michigan reports that the pollutant has been found in huge quantities in several types of algae in Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, and areas with both high and low populations.

A study from the US Geological Survey with Valparaiso University found microfibers in every sample used in the study.

It’s unclear what impacts on human health the pollutant might have before more research is done, but other toxic chemicals like PFAS can cling to the strings.