Ganga heavily polluted with microplastics

The ‘Quantitative analysis of Microplastics along River Ganga’, a new study by Toxics Link has found heavy concentration of microplastics in the Ganga.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2021

Among the range of plastic debris that is found in water bodies, microplastics are the most notorious because of their small size, on average microplastics are less than 5 mm in length or roughly equal to five pinheads.

Apart from humans, microplastics are harmful to marine species as well. More than 663 marine species are affected by marine debris and 11 percent of them are said to be related to microplastic ingestion, the study says.

Because microplastics are so small, they are ingested by marine habitants including fish, corals, planktons and sea mammals and are then carried further into the food chain.

In the case of humans, most of the microplastics can be found in food, water and food containers and their ingestion can cause health problems.