Environmental Effects Of Plastic

Plastic, whether it is for a container, a wrapper or the product itself, has become an everyday part of our lives. The plastic itself is not a waste. We use it to contain food, construction workers wear it to protect their heads, and arthritic patients have it for their replaced hips. However, “Only 9 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2012 was recovered for recycling”(“Plastics, Common Wastes & Materials”). If we just throw it away instead of recycle it, it will become a plastic waste and pollute the environment. When it reaches the ocean, it will turn into floating debris, which is even harder to

Plastic has become a staple, and the use of plastic products is abundant in everyday life even if it is not apparent. The production and use of plastics has increased dramatically over the last sixty years, and a vast majority of plastic being produced is not recovered after it is used. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that it is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that just takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. The overflow of plastic eventually makes its way into the ocean and is affecting marine life at an alarming rate. Plastic debris pollutes oceans all over the world as it breaks down into smaller pieces and are ingested by a large range of species. Animals exposed eat the plastic products and it causes health problems throughout the marine ecosystem. Some humans rely on these animals for food without knowing that they have been exposed to toxic products. The smallest organisms or exposure to chemicals can wreak havoc on the human body causing serious illness. It is clear that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics, but the fact that plastic is not biodegradable and toxic creates a product that takes up a vast amount of space and poisons animals. Plastics contain chemicals that can interfere with the bodies natural functions and can cause adverse health issues if left untreated. Plastic pollution is rampant all over the globe exposing everyone

Plastics of the 20th century should consider the health of the environment. Over the past 153 years http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/14/fsummit.climate.plasticbags/ of producing plastics there is an evident impact of the environment. The Earth’s ocean has 5.25 trillion pieces, which is equivalent to 269,000 tons floating on the surface. Some of plastic is as small as 1cm2; this makes this every difficult to reverse the already existing impact of humans. This large scale disaster also affects the wildlife. 100,000 marine animals and 1 million birds have to suffer the consequence of plastic pollution every year. Globally a million single-use plastic bags are used every minute, this number is also increasing. http://oceancrusaders.org/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/

Halden, R. U. (2010). Plastics and health risks. Annual Review of Public Health, 31, 179–94. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103714

In the past, there have been a number of discussions about the risks plastic puts us in, not just with regards to the planet and environment, but our personal health. The debates didn't relent, and eventually changes were made to some plastics, with the plastic chemicals in these ones being considered safer. Unfortunately, these safer plastic chemicals aren't necessarily as safe as plastics manufacturers wanted you to think they were. A new study from the NYU Langone Medical Center suggests that a couple of chemicals found in plastics regarded as safe can actually have potential harm on children and adolescents, increasing their risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Look all around you and there is at least one or more items that includes plastic. In these plastics there are chemicals called endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors can act like the hormone estrogen in a person’s body. The two main and common endocrine disruptors are BPA and phthalates, which are in a lot of products that we use every day. These chemicals negatively affect women, men, children, and even fetuses. So, there has been a lot of controversy about these plastics and the chemicals inside of it. There are multiple people that think that there should be a strict protocol when it comes to these chemicals, like BPA and phthalates. Linda B. White who wrote “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not”; Sheldon Krimsky who wrote “Plastics

In recent years, many questions have arisen concerning the influence of chemicals found in plastics on human health. These chemicals are implemented to give plastics durable, malleable characteristics. Such chemicals include Phthalates, which are added to make plastics more flexible, Bisphenol A (BPA), which is known for toughness, dimensional stability, optical clarity, high heat resistance and electrical resistance (“Polycarbonate Plastics and Bisphenol A Release”), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), a form of polyester compressed into plastic bottles. Concerns have been directly linked to research indicating that these chemicals contribute to negatively affected behavior in children and endocrine

In all its glory plastic can leave a harmful imprint on the environment and even human health. “One of the most ubiquitous and long-lasting recent changes to the surface of our planet is the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics,” (Knoblauch, 2009). At first, plastic was used to help in the military and WWII but after just a few years of its creation, plastic production increased by over 3000% (Sun, 2013). Chemicals added to the plastic are absorbed by humans and it can affect hormones or cause other potential health

To put simply, plastic is composed of alike molecules, such as carbon or hydrogen, put together in a chain. These chains are called polymers, which is just a repeating pattern of chemical mixtures. What many are unaware of is the toxic chemicals in these chains. Plastic contains Bisphenol A(BPA), which is a reproductive, developmental, and systemic toxicant, as well as an endocrine-disruptor. Even when something is BPA-free, it is not any safer than BPA, as a study has shown it has “the same or greater hormone-disrupting effects of BPA” (Terry 20). Lead and cadmium are also embedded within, which damages the nervous system, kidney, blood, and brain, and is a human carcinogen (Terry 21). These chemicals, over time, have the ability to seep into

The one thing that every human being wants, in this increasingly polluted era, is a less polluted environment. Everywhere from the landfills, the rivers, the ocean and any other imaginable place is full of plastic waste. Plastic garbage is not just a problem to the garbage collectors, but to the whole human race. Plastic materials do not decompose under natural circumstances; thus they pile up in landfills, clog waterways, and make the environment a total mess. It is impractical to evade the manufacturing and using of plastic stuffs, given the efficacy of the same, but it is feasible to minimize the plastic litter in the environment. Recycling plastic unwanted remains is the best technique of lessening pollution from such waste materials. The know-hows incorporated in plastic material reutilization have changed over time enriching effectiveness to make recycling a practicable solution of the ever-increasing plastic pollution issue. Effectiveness, capital, policies and research of recycling plastics are a necessity for endeavor (Hardesty, et al, 2015). Therefore, the responsibility remains in the shoulders of us all and not necessarily for manufacturer. Recycling plastic will reduce the plastic pollution; Energy, conserve of oil, reduce garbage in landfills; and make the environment clean; hence reducing the danger associated with environmental change, overflowing landfills, and clogged waterways and

    While taking one of my SMC courses at St.Mary’s University, my professor  began a discussion on plastics pollution and the effects it has on the environment.  My professor began to talk more and more about this uncharted territory known as plastic pollution I  never knew plastic was so harmful and what it is doing to our environment.What I knew then does not compare to what I know now. Everything that I have included in this research paper stems from what I have learned and the policies we have in the United States, the state of Texas, and the city of San Antonio.

With the combination of polymers that don’t biodegrade and mass overproduction, companies are harming the environment in severe ways. Plastic, a material seen everywhere, is a polymer made from oil. It is mass produced to make everything from shampoo bottles to automobiles and does not biodegrade. When it is eventually thrown out, the waste usually finds it way into the ocean, where it is either buried under sediment or eaten by marine life (Weisman 287-295). Creating a material that will ultimately kill marine life will undoubtedly wreak havoc on the

Many modern industries use plastics and other hydrocarbon forms like polystyrene in their products because of their qualities, values and properties. For example our food industry. Our food packaging consists of plastic rapping, containers and bags which is made from

A recent study conducted by several United States scientists counted up the amount of plastic produced since the 1950s. “The number they came to is mind-boggling: 8.3 billion metric tons of virgin plastics produced worldwide since 1950. That’s as heavy as 25,000 Empire State Buildings or a billion elephants, according to the BBC.” (Mosbergen). That amount really puts the problem into perspective, the problem is not only about what humans do with the plastic but the amount we produce in our country alone. “That’s just really a staggering amount,” lead author Roland Geyer, an industrial ecologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told NPR. If you spread all that plastic out ankle-deep, “it [could] cover an area

Plastic bags are utilized daily in supermarkets, restaurants, and stores. These bags are wreaking havoc in our country since California started using them. Not only banning bags will help California, but it would benefit the whole world if everybody stops using them. Plastic bags are one of the most dangerous substances in our environment. It seems silly that plastic bags could do so much harm, but these bags contribute to environmental issues in several ways. There is more work that needs to be done in order to further society in line with sustainable concepts that would not only serve to reduce waste but also to protect the extant environment. Human beings invented plastic bags for the convenience of carriers and packers. However, just as other great inventions, like, nuclear energy and biotechnology, plastic bags are causing significant issues like global warming, environment complications ,and economic benefits.