Nurdles are tiny pellets of plastic that are supplied as raw materials to industries. There these pellets are melted and poured into molds of different kinds to make stuff, but not all nurdles end up like that. According to estimates 2,00,000 metric tonnes of plastic pellets end up in the ocean. The beads are really lightweight, one weighs about 20 mg. With that estimate about 10 trillion nurdles make their way into the oceans.
A nurdle is a microplastic from the beginning; it is less than 5mm in size. Over 80 species of sea birds and hundreds of fishes eat microplastics which may end up blocking their respiratory or digestive tract, microplastics also end up in human’s digestive systems through marine animals. Studies show that about 80% of humans have microplastics in their blood, which can be extremely damaging to the body.
These nurdles get into our bodies through various channels, from factory spillage, transportation-related leakage and from the sinking of ships carrying these plastic beads. There are no laws or regulations in place about this problem but governments are slowly waking up to the problem.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
