A form of industrial pollution is washing up on the beach, bringing with it potential health concerns.

The pellets of microplastic – also known as nurdles – are manufactured from factories and can be found on the sand at South Padre Island.

Wes Franklin, a UTRGV student, said fishes are eating them.

“In about 82% of the fish I've caught, there's been microplastic present,” Franklin said.

Chris Freeman lives near the beach and said she’s found several nurdles washing up on shore in large numbers

Marine biologist Jace Tunnell says he once saw a pile of them so big, he thought it had to be some kind of spill. 

Tunnel learned these pellets are the raw component for the plastic products that we know and use as manufacturers package them, and sometimes spill them along the way.

Those factories are along the Gulf Coast.

A sample from South Padre Island tested by the UT Marine Science Institute was found to be likely polypropylene. From previous studies, those researchers explain that toxic chemicals bind to the polypropylene. Those toxins can be absorbed in the tissue of fish that consume microplastics.

The long-term health effects for humans are still being studied. Scientists want to know if toxins absorbed by fish are then absorbed by human consumers.

There have been several bills in the works on the state and federal side to set more rules about spilled nurdles, but they haven't gone anywhere yet. 

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is now considering stricter rules, requiring manufacturers and transporters to prevent spills. 

Watch the video above for the full story.