0 very small round pieces of plastic used as a raw material (= a material before it has been processed for use) in making plastic products: --
Polystyrene pieces and nurdles are the most common types of plastic pollution in oceans, and combined with plastic bags and food containers make up the majority of oceanic debris.
They also accumulate in larger fragmented pieces of plastic called nurdles.
A significant amount of nurdles are spilled into oceans, and it has been estimated that globally, around 10% of beach litter is nurdles.
Waterborne nurdles may either be a raw material of plastic production, or from larger chunks of plastics.
Nurdles that escape from the plastic production process into waterways or oceans have become a significant source of ocean and beach pollution.
Nurdles have frequently been found in the digestive tracts of various marine creatures, causing physiological damage by leaching plasticizers such as phthalates.
Nurdles, also known as mermaids' tears, are plastic pellets typically under five millimetres in diameter, and are a major contributor to marine debris.
Nurdles are also created through the physical weathering of larger plastic debris.
