Microplastics

Why in News?

• Delhi-based NGO Toxics Link released a titled, “Quantitative analysis of Microplastics along River Ganga”, which has found that the river – which flows through five states covering about 2,500 km before flowing into the Bay of Bengal – is heavily polluted with microplastics.

What are microplastics?

• Microplastics are small, barely visible pieces of plastic that enter and pollute the environment.
• Microplastics are not a specific kind of plastic, but rather any type of plastic fragment that is less than five millimeters in length.

Classification of microplastics:

• Primary microplastics:
  • They are small pieces of plastic that are purposefully manufactured.
  • They are usually used in facial cleansers and cosmetics, or in air blasting technology.
  • In some cases, their use in medicine as vectors for drugs was reported.
• Microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of, manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to cleansers and toothpastes.
• Secondary microplastics
  • They are small pieces of plastic derived from the breakdown of larger plastic debris, both at sea and on land.

What are the concerns regarding microplastics?

•  The microplastics ingested by fish and crustaceans can be subsequently consumed by humans at the end of the food chain.
• Microplastics can act as a vector for pathogens as well as heavy metals.
• They also contain different toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that can cause hormonal imbalances and birth defects in children.

Prelims Question

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding microplastics:
1.They refer to any type of plastic fragment that is less than five millimeters in length.
2.They are used in facial cleansers and cosmetics industry.
Which among the above statements is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims Question