{"id":70338,"date":"2026-03-27T18:53:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=70338"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:54:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T13:24:54","slug":"microplastics-ecological-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-03-2026\/microplastics-ecological-risks","title":{"rendered":"Ecological Risks of Microplastics\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study found that Chennai&#8217;s beaches have fewer microplastics than many global counterparts\u00a0 yet the risk to marine life remains significant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-08-2025\/microplastics-detected-in-human-brains\"><strong>Microplastics?<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Definition: <\/strong>Microplastics are tiny plastic particles or fibres <strong>smaller than 5 millimetres<\/strong>, many of which are <strong>invisible to the human eye<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scale of Pollution: <\/strong>Around <strong>2.7 million tonnes of microplastics<\/strong> entered the environment in <strong>2020<\/strong>, and this figure is <strong>projected to double by 2040<\/strong>, indicating a rapidly growing environmental threat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forms of Microplastics:<\/strong> They come in various forms, such as beads, fragments, pellets, film, foam, and fibers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Types of Microplastics:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Primary: <\/strong>Manufactured small on purpose (e.g. microbeads in cosmetics).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secondary: <\/strong>Result from breakdown of larger plastic items (e.g. bottles, bags).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why does low abundance not mean low risk<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Toxic fibres: <\/strong>Nylon microfibres are highly toxic and persistent, accounting for nearly 35% of ocean microplastics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pollutant carriers: <\/strong>Absorb toxins up to <strong>10\u2075\u201310\u2076 times<\/strong> higher than surrounding water (heavy metals, POPs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food chain transfer:<\/strong> Microplastics move through the food chain\u2014from plankton to fish to humans\u2014leading to biomagnification and increased health risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fishing activities: <\/strong>At least 10% of marine litter is estimated to be made up of fishing waste, which means that between 500,000 and 1 million tons of fishing gear are entering the ocean every year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Synthetic textiles: <\/strong>Synthetic clothes contribute 35% to microplastics burden in oceans.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tourism and beach use: <\/strong>Coastal tourism generates high volumes of single-use plastic waste, a major contributor to marine litter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban sewage and runoff: <\/strong>Wastewater is a key pathway; treatment plants can remove up to 90%, but the remaining still releases billions of microplastic particles daily into water bodies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact\/Challenges<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Human Health Concerns:<\/strong> Microplastics have been <strong>found in human tissue and in human blood<\/strong>, where their effects are largely unknown.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Threat to Marine Biodiversity: <\/strong>Microplastics have been recorded in 1300+ marine species, contributing to biodiversity loss and ecosystem imbalance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ingestion and Physical Damage:<\/strong> Marine organisms (fish, corals, plankton) ingest microplastics, causing internal injuries and blockages.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over <strong>90% of seabirds<\/strong> are estimated to have ingested plastic at some point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disruption of Ocean Carbon Cycle: <\/strong>Microplastics can disrupt the carbon cycle of the oceans. If zooplanktons consume microplastics, their faecal pellets sink at a much slower rate, which means they are more likely to break apart or be eaten by other animals \u2014 \u201cmaking it less likely that the carbon will reach the seafloor and become permanently sequestered\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives to Address Microplastics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ban on Single-Use Plastics (2022): <\/strong>India prohibited identified single-use plastic items to reduce plastic waste at source.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): <\/strong>Makes producers responsible for the collection, recycling, and environmentally sound disposal of plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monitoring by NCCR: <\/strong>The National Centre for Coastal Research monitors microplastics along India\u2019s coasts, providing data for policy action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>MARPOL Convention<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>The International Maritime Organization framework regulates and prevents marine pollution from ships, including plastic waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Plastics Treaty: <\/strong>Negotiated under the United Nations Environment Programme, it aims to end plastic pollution by 2040 through a legally binding global agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Microplastic pollution is a growing environmental and health concern, affecting water, marine life, and food chains globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Addressing it requires strengthening research, promoting biodegradable alternatives, improving waste management, and enhancing public awareness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/why-is-chennais-microplastic-problem-bigger-than-it-looks-explained\/article70784316.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A recent study found that Chennai&#8217;s beaches have fewer microplastics than many global counterparts\u00a0 yet the risk to marine life remains significant. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What are Microplastics? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Definition: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles or fibres smaller than 5 millimetres, many of which are invisible to the human eye. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Scale of Pollution: Around 2.7 million tonnes of microplastics entered the environment in 2020, and this figure is projected to double by 2040, indicating a rapidly growing environmental threat. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-03-2026\/microplastics-ecological-risks \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70338"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70341,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70338\/revisions\/70341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}