The trouble with nurdles

Ellison, Katherine

doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2007)5[396:ttwn]2.0.co;2

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Primary microplastics include "nurdles" or pre-production pellets, microbeads from cosmetics and personal care, and fibres from clothes washed in washing machines (Rocha-Santos and Duarte, 2015), as well as styrene-butadiene rubbers from wearing of car tires. Pre-production nurdles are usually introduced into the environment as a result of accidents during ship transport (Ellison, 2007). Point sources for primary microplastics are also relatively easy to identify (Vince and Stoett, 2018) as these derive from personal products washed down shower and sink drains that empty into water courses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

et al. 2019

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The extent of marine litter and microplastic occurrence across ocean biomes and species remains poorly characterised, particularly in remote deep-water ecosystems. The present study in the East Mingulay Special Area of Conservation (a Marine Protected Area in the Sea of the Hebrides, western Scotland) used historic surveys and benthic samples to obtain baseline levels of anthropogenic debris and microparticle ingestion. Most debris identified in the MPA was fisheries-related. A total of 11% of benthic macrofauna from Mingulay Reef Area 1 and Banana Reef had ingested microplastics, with no statistically significant effect of feeding guild, station, or reef, on ingestion rates. However, the ingestion rate was highest at a station located in a topographic hollow along a gentle sloping area with strong variable ocean currents where fine-scale interactions between bathymetry and hydrography may have helped trap and focus microparticles. Raman spectroscopy of microparticles revealed several types of polymers being ingested, tentatively identified as polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Besides establishing a baseline assessment of marine litter and microparticles in a deep-water setting, the approach demonstrates the utility of using historic data and specimens collected for other purposes to expand the geographic and ecosystem coverage for larger more regional-scale and even basin-wide assessments such as those needed to inform Good Environmental Status in European waters, as called for by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

et al. 2019

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“…Some larger predators are thought to confuse nurdles (which typically measure less than 5 mm in diameter) with fish eggs or other food sources. 41 …”

Section: Plastic Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety

Seltenrich¹

2015

Environ Health Perspect

261

118

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“…Primary MPs are those that are manufactured at a small size, whereas secondary MPs form via fragmenting from a larger plastic object [11]. Primary MPs include microbeads in personal care products and 'nurdles', raw material formed into small pellets for easy transport that are used to make larger plastic items [12,13]. Secondary MPs include fibers, fragments, foams, and films which vary in shape, depending on how they are formed [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying Spatial and Temporal Trends of Microplastic Pollution in Surface Water and in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica for a Dynamic Florida Estuary

et al. 2022

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Microplastics (MPs) are a ubiquitous pollutant, emphasizing the need to understand their abundance and the factors that influence these patterns around the globe. In a prior study, high numbers of MPs were found in surface waters and tissues of the oyster Crassostrea virginica collected from one location in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL, FL, USA). To better understand spatial and temporal variability of MPs throughout the IRL, for one year, monthly surface water samples were collected from 35 sites, while oysters were collected quarterly from 12 sites. Microscopy and ATR-FTIR were used to quantify MP. In total, 3755 MPs were found in 44% of water samples (mean density ± CI: 1.47 ± 0.09 MP/L). South IRL water had the most MPs, likely associated with proximity to urbanization, inlets (MP sinks) and tributaries (MP sources). MP (n = 3181) were found in 70% of examined C. virginica (n = 1402). Abundances of MP in oysters were lower in the spring and in north IRL. The overall mean abundance was 2.26 ± 0.16 MP/oyster, and the density was 2.43 ± 0.52 MP/g wet tissue weight. Our results provide a more complete picture of MPs in the IRL, a subtropical, shallow-water estuarine system.

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The trouble with nurdles

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

New Link in the Food Chain? Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety

Quantifying Spatial and Temporal Trends of Microplastic Pollution in Surface Water and in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica for a Dynamic Florida Estuary

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