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Article

6 Aug 2012

Author:
Emily Alpert, Los Angeles Times

Plastic pellets blanket Hong Kong beaches after typhoon

Hundreds of millions of tiny plastic pellets are washing up on Hong Kong beaches after a powerful typhoon sent “white plastic sacks of death” tumbling off a ship into the sea…The translucent pellets, known as nurdles…were reportedly made by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. [Sinopec]…The accident spilled 165 tons of nurdles into the water…Though Hong Kong officials say the plastic pellets are not themselves toxic, environmentalists warn that nurdles soak up other chemicals and toxins like sponges, growing more and more stained as they do. Birds, fish and sharks mistake nurdles for fish eggs and consume them, Sea Shepherd Hong Kong said, spreading the toxicity through the food chain to humans…