Why is Chennai’s microplastic problem bigger than it looks? | Explained

Microplastics, especially nylon fibres, are present in Chennai’s beach sediments in relatively low abundance, but low overall microplastic abundance does not necessarily imply low ecological risk. Even small particles can cause long-term ecological damage by affecting marine life, moving up the food chain, and eventually impacting human health through contaminated seafood.

The story so far:

Microplastics, especially nylon fibres, seem to be present rather sparsely in Chennai’s beach sediments but could still wreak long-term ecological damage, new research has cautioned. A study by researchers at V.O. Chidambaram College in Thoothukudi examined the abundance, sources, and ecological risks of microplastics from beach sediment samples from 15 sites along the Chennai coast. The findings show fibres dominating, with most particles smaller than 1000 m.

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Why does low abundance not mean low risk?

“This study is important because it shows that microplastics are already present in Chennai’s beach sediments, even if we don’t always see them,” Sekhar Selvam, senior assistant professor at the Department of Geology, V.O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi, said. “What is new here is that the problem is not just the amount of plastics but also the type of plastics. We found that most of the microplastics are nylon fibres, which are more harmful than many other plastics.”

In other words, even though Chennai’s beaches have fewer microplastics than many global ones, the risk to marine life remains significant.