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Harmful effects of plastic
Harmful effects of plastic
Harmful effects of plastic
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Imagine how much plastic exists in the everyday environment. Every year there is an av-erage of 50 billion water bottles consumed (Geracimos, 2007). Plastic also helps with wrapping different materials, preserving certain foods, and is virtually is every material that we use, but is plastics the new enemy to our lives? From drinking cups all the way to washable plastic bowls. Plastic may be causing harm to our bodies. However, more research is needed before plastic can be determined if it should be significantly reduced plastic use.
In September of 2008, baby bottles were found to host a dangerous amount of Bisphenol A and cause birth defects in humans and animals alike. The chemical is linked with both heart disease and diabetes that were both linked in cups, containers, and water bottles. The Food and Drug Administration has reported that BPA is safe in small concentrations, but could also still be a risk with a high amount of plastic products.
As a toxic hormone disruptor, Bisphenol A has been linked to various diseases such as cancer, hyperactivity, and diabetes. Further studies even support that it can cause affects in pu-berty and immune systems. The chemical is found in many products from baby bottles to plastic toys, compact discs, medical devices, and food or drink packaging. BPA has proved to be a dan-gerous chemical to infants causing birth defects. Items used for camping and drinking from water bottles every day can increase the amount of BPA in their system. Some scientist debate that Bisphenol A is actually safe in low concentrations, but other scientists say it should be complete-ly banned (Williams, 2008).
There have been plenty of recent studies of the affects of BPA. The enzymatic chemical is released in...
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...ed Food: Consumer tips to avoid BPA exposure. Retrieved January 17, 2014, from Envi-ronmental Working Group
Web Site:
http://www.ewg.org/node/20944
4. Geracimos, Ann (2007, May 24.) The Washington Times retrieved January 17, 2014, from Container Recycling Institute
Web Site:
http://container-recycling.org/mediafold/newsarticles/plastics/2007/5-24-DC-LandFullBottles.htm
5. Miller, C. 2000/ “Drosophila melanogaster” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 17, 2014
Web Site:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.edu/site/accounts/information/Drosophila_melanogas ter.html
6. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (2008, September 8.) Plastic Bottles: Bisphenol A of ‘Some Concern’ According to the U.S Government Report. Science Dai-ly. Retrieved January 17, 2014
Web Site:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903091142.htm
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
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
...very day life, from water bottles to pop cans, but many studies have proven it to be a harmful chemical. The most common method of entry into the human system is through oral ingestion, where it remains in the bloodstream until it is metabolized. The chemical was found in almost all humans tested, and higher concentrations were found in children relative to adults. BPA closely resembles the female sex hormone, estradiol, which allows it to cause problems with sexual development and behaviour in both rodents and humans. High concentrations of bisphenol A in both blood and urine have been associated with illnesses such as cancers of the reproductive organs, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Humans are exposed to bisphenol A on a daily basis through products that are still manufactured with this harmful chemical, despite the knowledge of danger to health.
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).
The plastic the bottles are made from is softened with chemicals called phthalates. When exposed to heat, such as being left in a hot car, these phthalates may be released contaminating the water. These phthalates act like hormones and disturb the endocrine system (ie. pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid gland). (Parsons) Another risk is antimony, a dangerous chemical used in making water bottles. The longer the bottle is sitting around the more develops in the water. In high doses antimony can cause nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Even though research has concluded any antimony that is in the water is at a safe level, it should produce concern and prompt more study.
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 ...
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
Most of the necessities humans need are provided in supermarkets, in fact supermarkets have become a necessity for our everyday life. They are now the main source of water, food, clothes and everyday tools. Therefore, the plastic bags demanded and supplied in this industry increase every day. In the past decade, we produced as much plastic as we did in the whole twentieth century (Freinkel, 2011). This exponential increase of a non-biodegradable material has negatively impacted our environment immensely. Plastic production requires our dwindling fossil fuel resources, robs away animal lives, litters our beautiful landscapes and even affects our very own well-being. Hence, if plastic production doesn’t diminish immediately, we will suffer great
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
The US Container Recycling Institute estimates that 67 million plastic water bottles are discarded every day, which is enough to wrap around the planet 149 times each year. Therefore, plastic water bottles should be banned from public use. The usage of water bottles should be suppressed because they are incredibly dangerous, wasteful, expensive, and rarely recycled. Researchers have stated that plastic bottles containing water can contain many harmful chemicals. After close examination of the plastic, researchers have concluded that some plastics contain chemicals, such as phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), endocrine disruptors, and carcinogens, which may leach into the water, especially after being stagnant for long periods of time.
Since most people are unaware of the toxicity of some household items, it poses a problem for people who are uneducated about the toxicity in everyday household products. Kids are the most vulnerable to chemicals such as BPA and phthalates since they are still in their developmental stages. For instance in the Chapter 2 titled “Rubber Duck Wars”, the authors experiment with phthalates and detail how they are found in children’s toys which could easily land in their mouths causing these chemicals to enter their bodies. This is a very scary issue for most parents out there. The authors quoted Dr. Lynn Goldman, an EPA Specialist who stated that “children are most at risk to the effects of toxic chemicals in our food, water, and air. They consume more on a body weight basis than do adults, they breathe more rapidly and therefore inhale more potentially polluted air; they crawl around poking in dusty corners and stick everything they find in their mouths. But these activities simply explain how kids have greater levels of exposure. The most critical issues facing babies and children are that their developing bodies and brains cannot tolerate chemicals in the same way that adults can” (Smith, Lourie, & Dopp, 2009, p. xii)
Reid, Brian. "Controversy Over Phthalates in Cosmetics" (2011): Our Stolen Future. Web. 2 Feb. 2015.
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is all around us: in food containers, toys, baby bottles, dental products, CD/DVD discs, water bottles, register receipts, fax reports, newspapers, toilet paper and cereal boxes. BPA can cause cancer, behavioral problems, diabetes, ADHD and many other hormonal issues. 1 There is an increased risk of developing behavior problems when one is exposed to BPA at an early stage of life. As a parent, I am concerned about my children’s exposure to BPA. We tend to use plastic frequently as glass can break easily which is not safe for the children. Disposable containers and packaged food are convenient and readily available. 1 I searched on PubMed and Google scholar for peer reviewed articles related to BPA and its effects on children. The focus of this article will be to discuss some of the sources of BPA which children encounter and some examples of health risks children face due to BPA in the environment.
Some people may think that the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) doesn’t have any harmful effects to their body after being exposed to the chemical, but Bisphenol A is very harmful to the hormones, brain, behavior and heart, and can also cause cancer.
Being convenient enough for everyday use and even tasting better to some, plastic bottles are a popular way of consuming beverages. They are convenient and to some people, can even taste better. However, the process of manufacturing and transporting the millions of bottles produced is detrimental to the environment. Continued use of plastic bottles could exponentially hurt the planet. Given all the negative effects that come from plastic, why are people still participating in this poisonous cycle?