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Three effects of plastic pollution on the world
Three effects of plastic pollution on the world
Literature review on plastic pollution
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Stopping the Many Negative Effects Caused by Plastic Waste.
In daily life, people use a lot of plastic which is a polymeric material that is used in products, such as bottles, trash bags, plastic crockeries, and many more. At any given moment, it is obvious that most things around us are made of plastic including, dishes, carrier bags and twist ties. While using these products, people do not have the slightest idea if these plastic products impact the environment, where they come from, where they are taken away after they throw them, or even the materials used to make these products. The only thing people are generally concerned with is that the plastic bags fulfil their temporary needs. Although plastic can make people’s lives easier, it can
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People use plastic in everything, such as buying bottles, wearing clothes that made from plastic, and using plastic dishes to eat. Some people throw their trash plastic like bottles in the ocean, which cause negative effects on the environment. This phenomenon will very negatively affect the environment because of the inorganic substances contained in plastic. As indicated by environmental science Richard Thompson, more than 260 species that include fish, invertebrates, turtles, mammals, and seabirds have reportedly ingested plastic debris or come into contact with the material in various ways . This results in either impaired feeding or movement, death, and reduced reproductive capacity. Many animals often confuse plastics for food, and sometimes plastics stuck to the things they eat. For instance, in the North Sea, almost 96% of the dead seabirds die because of eating plastic; this finding has been reported after examining their stomachs filled with different kind of plastics (198). Moreover, each year, many animals die because of getting stuck in plastic nets or ingesting plastic feigning it for food. Almost 100,000 animals die each year (including turtles) because of consuming plastic bags. In addition, when those products are pulled into the sea 's currents, the plastics do not biodegrade, but are broken into smaller pieces which are consumed by marine life. As a result, a study by materials science DeMolam, …show more content…
As indicated by Hopewell, who works at Harvard University solid mechanics. The chemicals made from plastic are very dangerous for the human body, and can lead to serious problems. For example, PET, one of the chemicals that make up plastic, can affect brain development, and PVC can cause cancer. In fact, plastic is a non-biodegradable substance that means it cannot be decomposed naturally very easily. It can stay for a long time until it is completely broken by nature. The direct negative health impact of plastic is the hazardous manufacturing chemicals, such as oil and gas to which humans are exposed to (40). Furthermore, when we drink a hot drink in a cup of plastic it can lead to many diseases, such as cancer because of the chemicals that dissolve in the cup when the drink is hot. In addition, according to Andrews’s article who is a director of graduate programs for civil, construction and environmental engineering, there are decreasing rates of pregnancy and higher rates of miscarriage in plastic factories where women work (n.d). The causes of that are because of radioactive materials and dangerous chemicals that are used to make plastics, and they can accidentally enter workers ‘bodies. For the indirect way, plastic toxicities such as lead, cadmium, and mercury can transfer from the original objects to food (i.e. fish,
Plastic bags are harmful to our environment specifically towards animals. Thousands and thousands or plastic bags are found in the ocean, Using source C we see that plastic bags ranks at number four for kinds of debris found by the Coastal Cleanup. We also see that there is a variety of plastic items also mixed into the list, such as, caps, plastic bottles, straws, and containers. This much plastic polluting our oceans causes birds causes birds to mistake it for food lying about, as we can see one of the repercussions of plastic bags in source F . In source B a University of British Columbia found that 93 percent of dead seabirds had bellies full of plastic and even one bird had 454 pieces of plastic in its stomach. Plastic isn't only just dangerous to seabird it's
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest garbage dump in the world. According to estimates made by experts, the patch holds approximately three and a half million tons of garbage. Majority of this garbage is made of plastic. This waste is a threatening problem to the patch’s surrounding wildlife. Many animals are caught in the floating pieces of trash and it is the cause of the deaths of about one million birds and about one hundred thousand other sea animals. Due to the oceans nature and constant moving currents, the trash is also constantly moving. Therefore the size of the patch never stays the exact same. However, scientists believe it be approximately two times the size of Texas. The plastic is mostly broken down from larger materials into small pieces. The patch has been referred to as one scientist as a, “plastic soup”. This garbage poses such a threat mainly because it does not biodegrade. These plastics will be in the ocean essentially forever. Many plastics also contain chemicals, and absorb other chemicals and pollutants they become exposed to. These newly absorbed toxins are then leaked and distributed back into the ocean over time. The chemicals can directly enter the bodies of the animals which consume them. A study was being conducted by scientists of the fish that inhabit the area around the patch. What the researchers found inside the belly of one fish (that was no larger in size than that of a finger), was eighty four small fragments of plastic. It does not take scientists to recognize the impact of this problem, Zach Gold, who is sixteen, is from Santa Monica California. Zach enjoys s...
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
Phthalates are found in plastic materials. They can cause endocrine disruption, in other words it can affect our hormones. They can also cause damage in the environment. It can harm marine life since we don’t properly recycle throw away plastic materials. PFOA (perfluoroctanoic acid) is a carcinogen. Studies show that it can cause pancreatic canc...
Throughout the country one might find themselves seeing a plastic bag floating around or even stuck in a tree. This is a problem that most want to eliminate. A topic that Mangu-Ward writes about is the problem of plastic bags in marine life and other wildlife. For people the thought of animals dying angers them. These decisions that people are making currently are emotional decision as Mangu-Ward describes them. Many marine life animals have died from the cause of littering of the plastic bag. Mangu-Ward writes, “plastic bags make up 3.8 percent of beach litter”. Finding fish, turtles, and many more marine and wildlife animals with plastic bags either suck around their necks or in their throats is something that many do not like to see or hear. This evidence can also be supported when Mangu-Ward writes, “1 million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from eating or getting entangled in plastic”. Mangu-Ward is currently giving evidence that plastic bags are bad for the
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human
In recent years, it has become blatantly obvious that the Earth’s environmental deterioration is showing signs towards a cause of global concern. Drastic increases in water pollution, global warming, and deforestation, among other environmental issues have caused a sudden desire to raise awareness of and to resolve human-initiated problems. One of the more controversial topics involving human impact on environment is the excessive use of plastic, specifically in the form of plastic bags. Used for their convenience, durability, and inexpensive nature, plastic bag production and consumption has exploded, allowing them to become a seemingly necessary part of everyday life. Unfortunately, however, this abuse of plastic bags has brought a slew of environmental health
When the plastics enter into the oceans, some young fish are drawn to them, and seem to think that it is food, and they end up preferring the plastic to their natural food sources which eventually starves them before they can reach their reproductive age. The microplastics have been found in the bodies of whales, seabirds, and fish. Marine organisms ingest the particles, but they are unable to digest them, this leads to a buildup in the digestive tracts of the animals which hinders the microorganisms from taking in more food, and it diminishes the organisms feeding stimulus which can lead to starvation (Fossi, M. C, 2014). Studies have proved that the physiological consequences of crabs taking up polystyrene microspheres through their gills are minimal. When the crabs inhale polystyrene microspheres into their gills chambers, it leads to a small but temporary change in ion regulation and oxygen
The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.
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
The world has become very dependent upon plastic products. From household items to industry and aerospace, plastic in its many formulations has transformed modern manufacturing and created conveniences and economies unimagined in the early decades of the 20th century.
Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by supermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to “these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria.” These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in soil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage.
It is sad to say but humans have played their part in deteriorating the earth. We have polluted and killed the very thing that takes care of us. If you ride by any lake or river you find trash and debris around it. In the “The Call of the Wild” the author says that we have committed war against the earth by the dumping of poisons and explosives upon it (337). Unfortunately, plastics are the things that are doing the most harm to our environment. Plastics are convenient and we use them everyday and these are the things that we find in the oceans, rivers and lakes. They are harmful to the earth as well as human health by directly intoxicating us with lead, cadmium and mercury. Plastic debris laced with harmful chemicals are often found inside of our marine life and can poison them. Plastic can survive for thousands of years and many invasive species are found in them which can disrupt our habitats. We need to limit our consumption of plastics and make sure that they are disposed of in their proper places.
Plastics play a significant role across the environmental, societal and economic dimensions of sustainable development. Our modern lifestyle would not be possible without plastics. Plastics have proliferated so readily throughout the modern world because of their inherent properties such as lightweight, versatility and durability (Fortelný et. al., 2004). By possessing these advantageous characteristics, plastics has become a good candidate for replacement of other materials that range from simple plastic parts such as household storage containers, to sophisticated devices such as heart replacement valves. It is this range of properties together with their low cost that has driven the annual worldwide demand for plastics to reach at least 308 million tonnes by 2010 (Andrady and Neal, 2009).
More than fifty species of birds are known to ingest plastic. When they eat plastic, they feel full, so some of them die of starvation. Algal blooms are another thing that kills marine life. Algal blooms are sea scum, whale food, and sea sawdust. Algal blooms are bundles of fine threads, rusty brown, they have a fishy smell, and are common in August through December.