Sri Lanka is witnessing one of its worst marine pollution disasters because of the fire in the container ship X-Press Pearl. These pellets will, according to Katuwawala, absorb surrounding chemicals and toxins with time, making them even more dangerous. The release of oil and chemicals into the ocean can kill marine life, destroy marine habitats, and contaminate critical resources in the ecosystem’s food chain. Katuwawala highlighted the importance of assessing exactly how many containers of plastic pellets were washed ashore so that they could work on a solution to clearing up the debris. The plastic pellets have to further break down to be considered microplastics,” stated Katuwawala.
