What are plastic pellets and their dangers

Plastic pellets, Preproduction plastic granules, Granza or Nurrsthey are a type of microplastics that measure between 2 and 5 millimeters and that constitute the raw material from which different plastic products are manufactured. The composition of pellets is based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other synthetic materials. Here you can know the types of plastics.

The term “microplastic” was chosen as the word of the year 2018 in the BBVA Fundéu and serves to understand the problem that this implies. Microplastics are classified as primary and secondary:

• Primary microplastics They are specifically produced so that they are part of other products.
• Secondary microplastics They derive from the degradation of larger plastic pieces since, when remaining in the environment for long periods of time, their physical properties deteriorate the structural integrity of these waste transforming them into a size that is imperceptible to the naked eye, but that causes innumerable consequences in the environment.

In a world based on a culture of “use it and you”, plastic is a very wanted product because it is low cost, light and easy to produce, but it also has great resistance and durability since its degradation is very slow and can remain years in the environment generating irreversible damage.

In this other article we explain more about what microplastics are: definition and types.

Plastic pellets are used universally in the plastic industry for manufacture of products that are common in our daily lives such as, for example, bottles, containers, bags, wraps and tapas, among many other products.

It is estimated that polypropylene, a type of plastic that is usually used for the manufacture of bottles of bottles or yogurt containers, for example, can take 100 to 300 years to degrade. Other types of plastics such as the PVC that make up the pipes and pipes, can take up to 1,000 years to disappear. On the other hand, the plastic bags that we use every day can remain up to 150 years, while plastic bottles reach 450 years.

These data underline the worrying reality of the longevity of plastic products in our environment, highlighting the need to consciously address consumption and Waste management to mitigate long -term impacts On our planet.

In this other post you can learn more about how long the plastic takes to degrade.

In Spain, more precisely in Galicia and Asturias coastsa A large number of plastic pelletsgenerating an alarming situation. But, where do all these little white balls that invade the beaches come from? At the beginning of December, A ship lost much of its cargo of pellets in the Atlantic Oceanmore precisely in Portuguese waters, which soon arrived in Spanish territory.

The damage that these microplastics are causing in marine ecosystems expands more and more than pellets They continue to dispersed and it is very difficult to pick them up. Many neighbors and environmental organizations, mobilized by the worrying situation, are working hard to clean the coasts and at the time they had alerted the urgent need to obtain the help of the Government. Currently, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia have raised the alert at level 2 to obtain help from the State to face this environmental crisis.

This discharge has happened recently, in 2024, but there are many other ways in which the plastic reaches the sea and in Spain there are More affected coasts, such as Tarragona. For years pellets and microplastics arrive at the rivers and beaches of Tarragona, mainly produced by the chemical industry, which manufactures plastics itself and products made from this material.

Here we present some of the consequences that can cause the presence of plastic pellets on the beaches:

• Pellet ingestion by marine animals: Pellets can be confused with some foods and be ingested by animals such as fish, turtles, birds, marine mammals and even invertebrates. By accidentally consuming them, animals may suffer internal damage causing malnutrition, blocking their digestive system and even causing death. In addition, whether they die and if they survive when eating microplastics, they remain in their body and when they are prey to other animals they are transferred to the preer, we are accused.
• Accumulation of toxic substances: Small particles, such as plastic pellets, have a wide surface in relation to their volume, which allows them to considerably accumulate toxic substances. In addition, they have the ability to absorb heavy metals and retain other harmful compounds used in their production. These particles, together with their toxic components, can be ingested by organisms at the base of the trophic chain. This phenomenon, known as bioaccumulation, leads to the gradual accumulation of these harmful substances in organisms over time, transferring even to higher trophic levels and affecting predators in the food chain.
• Food and water pollution: Plastic pellets can contaminate water and food sources, affecting human health. If these particles enter the food chain, there is the possibility that people ingest plastics involuntarily by consuming contaminated food or water. Here you can learn more about the types of contamination in food and the causes and consequences of water pollution.

After knowing better the problem of plastic pellets that end at sea, we encourage you to read this other ecology article on how to avoid plastic pollution.

If you want to read more articles similar to What are plastic pellets and their dangerswe recommend that you enter our pollution category.