Plastic nurdles in marine environments due to accidental spillage

Tons of nurdles enter the oceans; they are the second largest source of micropollutants in the ocean by weight. Nurdles can be discharged into the environment at all stages of the plastics supply chain where they are handled, including at the manufacturing site, during transportation, loading or storage, and the fabrication facility. Nurdle spillages due to maritime accidents have been frequently reported worldwide. The most recent unprecedented nurdle spillage was reported close to the western coastline of Sri Lanka when the ship MV X-Press Pearl caught fire. Nurdles can be further dispersed via wind, surface water currents, and tides, or deposited in coastal areas once it is discharged. Prevailing wave action, sand movement, and beach morphodynamics make it difficult to recover spilled nurdles in the ocean and on the coastline. Exposure to nurdles and ingestion of plastic nurdles can potentially induce various health disorders in marine biota. This chapter describes worldwide nurdle spillages, the fate and transport of spilled nurdles, and their impacts, followed by a case study of the nurdle disaster caused by the X-Press Pearl maritime accident.