Plastic is ‘a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, etc. that can be moulded into a shape while soft, and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form’. Due to these unique properties and that it is relatively inexpensive, plastic has become largely ubiquitous over the years. It is important in food, transport, packaging hygiene and pharmaceutical practices. Their production was recorded at an all-time high of 311 million tons with 40% accounting for single use plastic. The mismanagement of plastics, however, leads to plastics being deposited in the environment. Plastic pollutants in the marine environment have been a problem since mass production of plastics was introduced in the early 1940s. These features that make plastic so attractive for human use are the same ones that cause plastic to be among major pollutants in the environment. This is particularly true in developing countries where proper waste management practices are in part lacking. The effect of large plastic debris in the environment, known as macroplastics, has been reported since the early 1970's and the effects of plastic on marine organisms i.e. entanglement, blockages and internal abrasion, have also been well documented. On a global scale, most regions are expected to have more mismanaged plastic waste in the near future due to increased demand without infrastructure improvements.
Micropellets are raw material used in plastic production, they are also termed nurdles or mermaids tears. They are essentially oval, round or rod shaped plastic pebbles ranging from 3 to 5 mm in diameter. They are often opaque or white in colour. They are mostly associated with spillages during transportation and handing. According to scientific literature, micropellets spillage in waters is also one of the concerns in pre-plastic production and transportation. As with microplastics, micropellets are small enough to be mistakenly ingested by lower trophic level animals and have also been found in various fish and bird species. Micropellets have been cited as both source and accumulators of pollutants., i.e, additives in micropellets have been reported to contaminate the environment and also as accumulators of contaminants over time. Some studies have proposed the unique interaction between bacteria and micropellets with time i.e. due to UV rays and wave action, micropellets increase their surface area with age meaning that the accumulation of toxins in micropellets may increase with time. This therefore, suggests that the effects of micropellets are possibly far more reaching than currently understood.
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