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Note on plastics and our environment
Note on plastics and our environment
The effects of plastic on the world
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Everyday millions of Americans come in contact with many different forms of plastics and think nothing about it. Whether its drinking from water bottles purchased at your local super market to eating leftovers from food storage containers in your refrigerator, plastics are everywhere in the world and it seems as if they’re here to stay. But have you heard of the chemical Bisphernol-A? Also known as BPA, this chemical compound is found in just about every plastic that you come in contact with and has created quite the uproar in the media over the last several years in question on its safety for consumer use. Scientists from around the world believe that BPA is the cause of many adverse health effects found in infants and adults, but the scientists aren’t the only ones voicing their opinions on the subject. Many concerned consumers in light of recent studies on the controversial BPA chemical are worried about what they themselves and their families are ingesting and exactly how it is affecting them. This problem amongst consumers has been so great that many companies such as Wal-Mart have demanded the removal of baby and infant products that contain the controversial chemical BPA from their store shelves.
With the uproar over BPA and all the bad press it has been receiving there are those out there who believe that there is no issue concerning BPA. Some scientists have had problems recreating similar results from the experiments done by early researchers. Even the FDA and toxicologist scientists have worked together to study and understand the chemical compound with no results of it being harmful or deadly. The plastic industry has revolutionized our world when it comes to how we depend on their products in our everyday lives, but ...
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...re treated with BPA have been found to disrupt the cells centrosome. The centrosome is an organelle, which resides close to a cells nucleus and is responsible for cell division. Many cancerous cells tend to have abnormal centrosomes. Even though nothing is proven at this point in time about BPA’s effects on the human body, the evidence at hand is enough to make you wonder how much BPA is actually flowing inside of you right now.
So what exactly is Bisphenol-A? BPA is a chemical compound used to make plastic and epoxy resins and is found not just all over the world but all over your household. BPA is used to produce many of the items that we find ourselves using on a day-to-day basis: from computers to sports equipment, eyeglass lenses and compact discs to the epoxy resin function which is found in adhesives, paints, dental sealants and on the inside of canned foods.
Neustaedter, Randall (7/18/2004). Plastic Water Bottles. Retrieved July 31, 2008, from Holistic Pediatric Association Web site: http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/108/1/Plastic-Water-Bottles
Although pure BPA is not utilized in dental resins, it has been demonstrated that bis-DMA has the ability to be hydrolyzed into BPA by salivary esterases.1 This is a potential cause for concern due to the many adverse health effects associated with BPA. These effects are presumably due to the ability of BPA to bind to nuclear estrogen receptors and interfere with endocrine signaling.1 Thus, it is of interest to determine the estrogenic potential of dental resins over time.
The government wants to put a price on plastic bags 5-10 cents.While some agree with this movement other don’t. & the people who don’t wanna agree with it wanna get rid of plastic bags for good as a plastic bag ban. They have many reasons for why they don’t want plastic bags anymore but so do the people who want plastic bags & to add a fee for having them. We’re just giving our pure opinion of what we think about the movement, we are supporting why our opinions & telling how either the movements will affect us as a community negatively or positively.We both disagree therefore we will have to support what we say & why we say it with evidence from a source that will help us explain and persuade the government that this movement is either a good
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. (2004, August 11). Environmental Roadmapping Initiative. Retrieved October 14, 2011, from Plastics Impacts, Risks and Regulations: http://ecm.ncms.org/ERI/new/IRRPlastics.htm
Dizon seriously notes, “By being super diligent in demanding information about chemicals in products such as toys, we can make better choices and lessen children’s exposure to toxic chemicals that can badly affect their health and development. Consumer vigilance can push toy companies to finally shape up and put the health interests
Humans encounter harmful chemicals every day, but it is generally unexpected by the public that products that they use every day, such as water bottles and metal cans, contain ingredients that can pose a threat to their health. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a compound that is widely used during the manufacturing of epoxy resins that provide a protective layer to many food containers, as well as hard, clear plastics (Staples, 1998). BPA leaches from these containers into the food or drink that humans consume on a daily basis (Krishnan, 1993). Several studies have found traces of BPA in over 90% of adult participants, and 99% of school-age children (Calafat, 2008). The chemical is still being used in modern times, despite the research that advises otherwise. Bisphenol A is a dangerous chemical that causes various chronic health problems, such as cancer, as well as sexual abnormalities in both males and females.
Humans are among the many terrestrial mammals affected by the endocrine-disrupting capabilities of bisphenol A. The majority of human exposure comes from consumption of BPA from food products packaged in polycarbonate plastics (Crain et al., 2007). Laboratory studies done on mice indicate that exposure to high concentrations of BPA can cause pregnancy complications, reproductive organ defects, obesity, early puberty, and cancer (reviewed by Flint et al., 2012).
Neurobehavioral and developmental deficits occur in newborns and through school-aged children who had in utero exposure to PCBs.
There is also debate on how much better biodegradable plastics are in the first place. This is because as biodegradable plastics break down, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, but never quite disappear. This leaves the potential that the plastic would continue entering the food chain. But although biodegradable plastics aren’t perfect, they are still much safer than standard plastic and present a much lower risk. In addition, by making the shift to ban single use plastics, research towards better plastic alternatives will speed up and better solutions will become available. Over time, these new alternatives to plastics may spread to other items that aren’t single use, making an even greater impact on the health of humans and the
Although companies across the globe continue to produce multiple polycarbonate #7 plastic products with BPA, more is being noticed about the adverse health effects to humans can be harmful. Testing on mice has proven that some exposure to BPA can be linked to Cancer and neurological disorders. In countries which have banned the use of BPA in different products, would agree that this chemical is toxic and dangerous. However, as long countries like the United States, who do not currently support banning BPA countrywide due to limited scientific data to back all claims, BPA will continue to be a global issue which continues to be hidden in the dark and a mystery globally
Researchers have stated that plastic bottles containing water can contain many deadly chemicals. After close examination of the plastic, researchers concluded that some plastics contain chemicals, like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), endocrine disrupters, and cancer, may percolate into the water, especially after being stagnant for long periods of time. Likewise, bottled water is not exposed to the rigorous testing tap water endures. Thus, bottled water is more inclined to be contaminated or a source of infection. Tap water is subjected to daily safety testing, bottled water, however, is only tested monthly at the source; twenty-two percent of the water tested contained contaminant levels that exceeded strict health limits. Safety of the people could be secured through banning water bottles.
Plastic pollution negatively affects America’s future. The origin of this environmental pollution is caused by the excessive lack of ethics that human beings have. Many times, people throw garbage on the streets, seas, etc. Not knowing that this will be severely altered the environment, and planet earth conditions. Environmental pollution is found in many places such as plastic products, cleaning products, food, animals, personal care products, and the most dangerous in the environment where the oxygen we breathe and share with other living beings (Eriksen 2013).
Using plastic bags are second nature to people in this day and age. Warner acknowledges, “Much to the dismay of the environmentally conscious citizens worldwide, the ubiquity of the free plastic carryout bag has bred nonchalant consumers who take this modern convenience for granted” (646). Although some people are conscious about the environment, people strive more for convenience and do not think about the impacts using bags have not only on the environment, but on themselves as well. If something is bad for the environment, it will alternatively be bad for humans as well. When plastic bags are exposed to the sun from being littered all around, the ultraviolet rays cause the substances of plastic bags to weaken. After the substances weaken, the substances become invisible to the naked eye. The substances that are no longer able to be seen are toxic to humans (Warner 649). As a result of plastic bags being littered around, animals consume plastic bags. This is negatively affects humans because animals are often consumed. When humans consume animals like, fish, there can be plastic in the fish’s belly, which then transfers to the humans and this poses a concern for human’s health. Humans are negatively affected by plastic bags because of the toxic chemicals in plastic bags, as well as, consuming animals with plastic in their
Leonard shows us how passionate she is about the topic and how she ventured across the world to see how consumerism is affecting not only us, but countries all over the world. She worked hard in her research to show us that the plastic bottle is a concept that can destroy our ecosystems and in return hurt us as individuals.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound used to create polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are found in a wide range of products, but food and drink containers are the most concerning. Most people fear that BPA will have negative effect...