Spain investigates contamination of Atlantic shore by countless plastic pellets spilled from ship

MADRID (AP) — Spanish state prosecutors have opened an investigation into countless tiny plastic pellets washing up on the country’s northwest coastline after they were spilled from a transport ship. The prosecutors fear that the pellets could have toxic properties and added that there are indications that they have also been found on Portuguese and even French shores. Spain’s government representative for the northwest Galicia region says the spill was first reported on Dec. 13 when pellets began washing up on Spain’s Atlantic shoreline after a container fell from a ship. Greenpeace and other environmental groups calculate the total amount of pellets lost to be in the millions.