About Microplastics

• Microplastics are plastics less than 5 mm in length and occur  in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution.
• Microplastics consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms bound together in polymer chains. 
• Other chemicals, such as phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and tetrabromobisphenol A , are present in microplastics.
• There are two categories of microplastics: Primary and Secondary.
  • Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use, such as cosmetics, microfibers shed from clothing, fishing nets. 
  • Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles. This breakdown is caused by exposure to environmental factors, such as erosion action of ocean waves.

Impacts of microplastics

• • Microplastics are not biodegradable and once in the environment, they tend to accumulate and persist for a longer period of time.
  • Microplastics are a source of air pollution, occurring in dust and airborne fibrous particles.

• Ingestion of microplastics can cause aquatic species to consume less food thereby having less energy to carry out life functions, such as feeding , breeding, etc

• • Microplastics can exhibit tendencies of biomagnification across food chains, ie, the concentration of chemicals can increase across food chains, ie, from zooplankton to small fish and large fish.

• Biomagnification refers to increase in the concentration of a toxicant at successive trophic levels.

Why in news ?

•  Microplastics have been found in the guts of several fishes and shellfish in Ashtamudi lake.

Ashtamudi Lake

• It is located in Kollam District of Kerala
• It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and is a gateway to several backwaters in Kerala.
• The Kallada river is a major river which drains into the Ashtamudi lake.
• The lake is surrounded by vegetation such as mangrove forests, coconut groves, and palm trees.
• Munroe Island ,a cluster of eight tiny islands lies in the Ashtamudi Lake.

Source

• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html

• https://www.britannica.com/technology/microplastic