Environment

X-Press Pearl report classifies plastic pellets as hazardous substances

Feb, 11, 2022 Posted by Gabriel Malheiros

Week 202206

Risks associated with the transport of chemicals and plastics in containerships need to be addressed, say the authors of the first public study into the impacts on people and the environment of toxic chemicals released during the largest plastic pellet spill on record.

The report, X-Press Pearl: a ‘new kind of oil spill’, was published this week by health and environmental advocates International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ). It includes results of the groups’ analysis of plastic debris that washed up on Sri Lankan beaches, and testimonies from communities devastated by the pollution, following the loss of the X-Press Pearl, which sank off the port of Colombo in May last year.

Over 80 of the 1,486 containers onboard the ship contained dangerous goods. The ship was carrying 1,680 tons of plastic pellets. After the incident dead fish, turtles, dolphins, and whales washed up on local beaches, along with huge quantities of plastic pellets. Fishing bans were imposed and clean-up operations began.

The X-Press Pearl is one of many plastic pollution shipping incidents detailed in the 37-page report with the authors admitting the actual amount of pollution from lost containers is currently impossible to track.

To better understand the potential toxicity of plastic pollution, CEJ collected samples of pellets and plastic debris from four coastal locations. The samples were analyzed for heavy metals, benzotriazole UV (BUV) stabilizers, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), bisphenols, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The analytical results confirm that the consequences of the spill are not just physical hazards, but also chemical in nature. The health and environmental effects of the different chemicals, metals, and plastics include corrosion, cancer, and endocrine disruption.

In addition to assessing the chemical pollutants and their potential consequences, IPEN and CEJ met with communities in three affected coastal areas and conducted a survey with over 100 participants. The fishing communities tell of lost income, destroyed nets, decreased catch, changes in the sea, and in some cases allergic symptoms following the accident.

Therese Karlsson, IPEN science and technical advisor, argued that “this incident must be considered the oil spill of our times. To protect coastal communities, it is, therefore, crucial that prevention, mitigation, and regulatory measures are adapted to tackle the risks associated with today’s shipping patterns.”

IPEN and CEJ suggest current legislation and practices are insufficient to mitigate the risks of poorly packaged chemicals and the sheer number of different chemicals transported by containerships.

The International Maritime Organization is currently discussing how to address the loss of plastic pellets at sea and better track containers lost at sea. Currently around 1,000 containers are lost each year. Sri Lanka has submitted a proposal to classify plastic pellets as hazardous substances, and Vanuatu has presented one addressing the reporting of containers lost at sea.