Earth Science News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
France to probe microplastic pellet pollution on Atlantic beaches
France to probe microplastic pellet pollution on Atlantic beaches
by AFP Staff Writers
Brest, France (AFP) Jan 27, 2023

French prosecutors said on Friday they would investigate the appearance of vast quantities of tiny toxic plastic pellets along the Atlantic coast that endanger marine life and the human food chain.

The criminal probe will follow several legal complaints about the pellet invasion lodged by local authorities and the central government in Paris, Camille Miansoni, chief prosecutor in the western city of Brest, told AFP.

The microscopic pellets, called nurdles, are the building blocks for most of the world's plastic production, from car bumpers to salad bowls.

They are usually packed in bags of 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds) for transport, each containing around a million nurdles, which are sometimes called "Mermaids' Tears".

But they can easily spill into the ocean when a cargo ship sinks or loses a container. Environmentalists also suspect that factories sometimes dump them into the sea.

Fish and birds often mistake them for food and, once ingested, the tiny granules can make their way into the diet of humans.

Experts told AFP the nurdles found along the coast of Brittany may have come from a plastic industry container that fell into the sea.

"We can't rule out a single source for the industrial pellets," said Nicolas Tamic at the CEDRE pollution research body in Brest.

On Tuesday, the French government filed a legal complaint against persons unknown and called for a international search for any containers that may have been lost at sea.

Local authorities have followed suit, and the environmental crime branch of the Brest prosecutor's office will lead the investigation.

Last weekend, around 100 people took part in a clean-up campaign on a microplastic-infested beach in Pornic in Brittany to collect pellets and draw attention to the problem.

"We think they've come from a container that may have been out there for a while and opened up because of recent storms," said Lionel Cheylus, spokesman for the NGO Surfrider Foundation.

"Our action is symbolic. It's not like we're going to pick up an entire container load," said Annick, a pensioner, as she filled her yoghurt pot with nurdles.

French politicians have taken note. Joel Guerriau, a senator from the region, has called for a "clear international designation" of the pellets as being harmful.

Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Bechu labelled the nurdles "an environmental nightmare", telling AFP the government would support associations fighting pellet pollution.

Ingesting plastic is harmful for human health but nurdles, in addition, attract chemical contaminants found in the sea to their surface, making them even more toxic.

Measuring less than five millimetres (0.2 inches) in size, they are not always readily visible except when they wash up in unusually huge quantities, as has been the case since late November along the northwestern French coast.

burs/jh/sjw

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
"Dark" side of air pollution across China poses potential health threat
Birmingham UK (SPX) Jan 27, 2023
China is a night-time 'hot-spot' for the production of nitrate radicals (PNO3) that could have a major impact on health-threatening ozone and fine particulates (PM2.5) in the atmosphere, a new study reveals. The country has experienced a rapid increase in nocturnal production of NO3, whilst Europe and the US experienced a decline. Experts believe that this increase will have significant air pollution implications for China and other developing countries such as India. Current production of N ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Natural disaster costs hit 23-year high in France: insurers

8 dead, including 6 Chinese nationals, after ship sinks near Japan

Saving Earth-based explorers and enabling exploration

Arizona dismantles shipping container wall on US-Mexico border

FROTH AND BUBBLE
AI voice tool 'misused' as deepfakes flood web forum

Ghostly mirrors for high-power lasers

Judge denies US bid to block Meta virtual reality deal: reports

To decarbonize the chemical industry, electrify it

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Outlook for the blue economy

$500 mn pledged for jihadist-torn Lake Chad

Elevated design keeps solar stills salt-free

NASA measures underground water flowing from Sierra to Central Valley

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Vast iceberg breaks off near UK Antarctic base

Greenland at its warmest in 1,000 years: study

Satellite mapping finds new colony of Emperor penguins

Study: Fast melting of Greenland Ice Sheet will affect sea-level rise

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Myanmar opium farming booming after coup: UN

EU eyes more help for shrinking bee populations

Iraqis chow down on diamond-shaped 'samoon' bread

Yellen urges 'urgent' steps to ensure Africa's food security

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Venice recruits next generation in flooding fight

One killed, two injured in Nepal quake; Three dead as building collapses in India

7.0-magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia, tsunami warning lifted

Looking back at the eruption that shook the world

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Pope Francis heads to war-torn DR Congo and South Sudan

New research uncovers the "water" mystery of the first large city in southern Africa

France recalls envoy in latest spiral in row with Burkina

France recalls its ambassador from Burkina Faso

FROTH AND BUBBLE
First primate relatives discovered in the high Arctic from around 52 million years ago

Brazil police open investigation of Indigenous 'genocide'

AIR launches high-resolution sensing and electrical stimulation neural activity study

Intelligent Computing: The state of the art

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.