Death, taxes, and now, microplastics.
All three are unavoidable, according to Dr. Sherri Mason of Penn State Behrend, who will testify before a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday.
Microscopic plastic pieces are everywhere, affecting everyone.
"It doesn't matter where we've looked, from the air, to the water, from the bottom of the Marianas trench to the top of Mount Everest, we find microplastics," Mason said.
Lake Erie is no exception.
Mason says it's full of billions of plastic particles, and as research methods evolve, more and more plastic is found. 
"The reality is that our water is terribly contaminated with little plastic particles," she said. "We are already starting to get the information that it is having a direct impact on human health."
You drank those particles today.
Already, microplastic consumption has been tied to reproductive issues and neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, and studies show they get into every inch of your body.
"The smaller the particle, the more easily it is going to make its way across the gastrointestinal tract, be carried by your blood, end up in your brain, your liver, your kidneys, various cells and organelles, and we have even shown that they make their way across the placental boundary and end up in embryos," Mason said.
It's not all bad news.
As researchers like Mason study the scope of the problem, they're developing solutions. 
Our region is leading the way.
"The Great Lakes have this incredible legacy. Yes, on the one hand, they have been very polluted, but they are also showing what we can do when we face a problem head-on."
Mason says the plastic problem can be solved, but as she'll tell senators, leaders need to act. 
Polluters must be held responsible, or we may all pay the price. 
"We have a very real problem, but the solutions are out there," Mason said. "We just need you to act to make those solutions happen."