Michael Hawthorne

Michael Hawthorne is a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune. A downstate Illinois native, Hawthorne joined the Tribune in 2004 after covering the environment and state government in Ohio, Illinois and Florida.

Francis Nuamah, left to right, Jessie Wilson and Chelsea Rochman collect samples of microplastics along the shoreline, Oct. 2, 2025, at the Experimental Lakes Area, a research station in northwestern Ontario, Canada. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Great waste in the Great Lakes: How plastic pollution is clogging our waters

September 27, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

More than 40 million depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water. Yet plastic pollution in the lake water isn’t regulated, and manufacturers are moving to dramatically increase the amount...

Melissa Duhaime, center, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, hand-processes recently harvested flax straw to prepare fibers for engineering experiments with farmer Kyle Thom, left, and graduate student Shiho Apperson, on Sept. 22, 2026, at her home farm in Dexter, Michigan. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The overwhelming problem of plastic

September 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

From flax that can be used in clothing and cars to robotic skimmers to stricter laws, determined researchers, activists and volunteers fight an industry intent on making more plastic.

University of Toronto biologist Chelsea Rochman, center, and Meredith Omer, left, collect northern pearl dace to be measured for research at the Experimental Lakes Area, in western Ontario on Oct. 1, 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

As microplastics pollute every corner of the Great Lakes, scientists push governments to combat threat

August 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Plastics just keep getting smaller, and potentially more harmful to humans, fish and wildlife. Even the most remote areas of the Great Lakes aren’t spared.

Emily Kowalski, the associate director at Environment Illinois, looks over a glass container of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles found along the Wild Mile in the North Branch of the Chicago River, on Aug. 10, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois law is the first in the Great Lakes region to designate industrial plastic pellets as pollution

August 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Companies that manufacture, use or transport nurdles must report spills and will be required to develop plans to limit them in storm runoff.

Research coordinator Roxanne Sawhill measures the waist of Jamie Headley, 6, of Urbana, during an Illinois Kids Development Study (IKIDS) microplastics test at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on June 18, 2026. Scientists at the Beckman Institute have been tracking levels of plastic-softening phthalates in the blood of children since before they were born up until age 11. (Josh Boland/Chicago Tribune)

Microplastics linger inside people and animals, multiple studies show. But regulation is still far off.

June 22, 2026 at 6:19 p.m.

Scientists are exploring whether microplastics contribute to or cause Parkinson’s disease, impaired fertility, premature births, certain cancers and developmental problems in children.

Sherri Mason, investigadora de la Universidad Gannon, recoge gránulos de plástico, trozos apenas más grandes que un grano de arroz, que cubren el suelo en el lugar donde son transferidos de vagones de tren a camiones para ser entregados a fabricantes locales, el 1 de mayo de 2026, en Erie, Pensilvania. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Mientras los plásticos obstruyen los Grandes Lagos, la industria presiona para producir más y minimiza los peligros, según revela un análisis del Tribune

June 4, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Según un análisis realizado por el Chicago Tribune de miles de documentos gubernamentales, científicos e internos del sector, cuando se les ha confrontado por su contaminación, los directivos de la...

Michael Hawthorne

All Stories

Great waste in the Great Lakes: How plastic pollution is clogging our waters

The overwhelming problem of plastic

As microplastics pollute every corner of the Great Lakes, scientists push governments to combat threat

Illinois law is the first in the Great Lakes region to designate industrial plastic pellets as pollution

Microplastics linger inside people and animals, multiple studies show. But regulation is still far off.

Mientras los plásticos obstruyen los Grandes Lagos, la industria presiona para producir más y minimiza los peligros, según revela un análisis del Tribune

As plastics clog the Great Lakes, industry presses to make more and downplays dangers, Tribune analysis finds

Illinois primaries set stage for November general election amid upsets and lawmakers keeping safe seats

President Donald Trump promises clean water. His proposed budget guts needed protections.

Illinois coal plants get Trump exemptions from Biden-era rule limiting mercury, other toxic air pollution