Environmental Effects Of Plastic Pollution

In the National Geographic article “Eight Million Tons of Plastic Dumped in Ocean Every Year”, author Laura Parker expresses how violent the simple act of dumping trash into the ocean really turns out to be. This article goes into depth telling exactly what plastics pollution is causing, where it’s mostly coming from, and what you can do to decrease this problem and help save both our planet and ocean wildlife.

In 1988, it was determined that the United States alone, was producing 30 million tonnes of plastic per year (Derraik, J.G.B., 2002). This can be compared with the global and annual production of 260 million tonnes of plastic as of 2012 (Pearson, E., 2014). Plastics are lightweight, durable, and cheap to make. This makes them incredibly easy to sell and manufacture. However, these attributes are many of the reasons why plastics are the most prominent type of marine debris, and why they are a serious hazard to various ecosystems and the organisms that live within them (Derraik, J.G.B.,

Over the few years, humans have discarded millions of tons of garbage into the oceans. Ever wonder where the cup you threw out this morning will end up? Or the plastic spoon you used for lunch? How about the cap of a water bottle? The calamitous plastic ends up in the water, taking thousands of years to decompose. The consumption of plastic by the marine life is perilous and the leading cause of death for life on shore.

According to an article on Huffington Post, The total amount of plastic pollution in the world's ocean is about 130 million metric tons. It is thought that each year the oceans are gaining 5 to 13 million tons of plastic pollution. If this estimation rings true within 10 years there will be 250 million tons. That would be the equivalent to there being 1 pound of plastic to every 3 pounds of fish, according to the Ocean Conservancy. However it is thought to be good news that The science paper found that there are just five countries that are responsible for over half of the plastic pollution. These countries include China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.

For decades, oceans have been one of the biggest dumpsters used throughout the world. Plastics among other pollutants have affected our oceans and freshwater as well as marine life. Plastic pollution effects not only the ocean and its’ marine life, but humans as well and not just in the United States, but everywhere. Landfills are running into water systems every day, carrying more plastics and trash into all of the oceans. For instance, in the Mediterranean Sea, sewage is untreated and that totals eighty percent. Sewage can lead to eutrophication, which is an enrichment of chemicals in an ecosystem, but it can cause human diseases as well. (Oceans) In reality, exposure to all marine organisms will be some sort of toxin or chemical, whether it is from the ocean or contaminated from human chemicals like pesticides. Deliberately dumped plastics and toxins spread into water systems daily. During the 1970’s dumping radioactive waste, chemical weapons, pesticides, and plastics have been disposed into oceans. The reason being was that people believed that since the oceans were so big that all the pollutants should be diluted, broken down, and dispersed throughout the ocean floor. In reality after disposal has continued for years, not a single pollutant has disappeared. In fact, 80% of plastics float, which means they will float for years until someone has picked them up or they have been broken down into smaller parts of oceans. Ocean pollution should end, even if it is recycling

Ocean pollution can be found floating in large, island-like patches in the middle of the ocean or washed up on beaches, local and uninhabited. Plastic pollution can be found at the surface of water or in the deep depths of the ocean, going as far down as the ocean floor (Seltenrich, A36). Due to its negative buoyancy, most all plastic will begin to sink after entering the ocean. This becomes an issue because it is very difficult to account for how much plastic is truly in the ocean when most plastic counting assessments do not test ocean water lower than a few feet of the ocean’s surface. When scientists do not have a clear depiction of exactly how much plastic is in the ocean, it is very difficult to combat against its effects or understand how to fix the problem.

A research program called plastic oceans, states “ We use over 3oo million tons of NEW plastic every year. Half of this we use just ONCE and usually for LESS than 12 minutes. 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean every year. A large amount of this “thrown away” plastic carries toxic chemicals such as BPA, phthalates, pesticides and PCBs. Which is dangerous to living things.

There has been a warning that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050 unless drastic action is taken now. What research has said is about eight million tons of plastic goes in the ocean every year. Some of this plastic pollution collects in five areas where currents join together, called the gyres. There is six times more plastic than zooplankton in these five ocean garbage patches. And one of the areas, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a large kinda dissolved island full of waste, filled with plastic that has been thrown away.

Plastic pollution on the ocean is growing daily. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (fig1), contains more than 79 thousand tones of plastic, and every year more than 6,4 million tones of plastics are discarded in the ocean (Lebreton et al, 2018). The coral triangle is threatened with 3.22 million tones of plastic waste, just from Indonesia, this pollution end up in the coral reef and some of this plastic reach the abyssal and the hadal zones (Chiba et al, 2018) (fig 2).

By the year 2050 plastic bottles will outnumber fish in the ocean. Last year a study by the National Academy of Sciences showed that there are over five trillion pieces of plastic currently littering the ocean. Many people believe that throwing away plastic would have negligible impact on humans and animals, this is untrue. Thousands of birds, turtle, seals, fish, and other marine animals die every after entangling themselves in or consuming the tons of plastic currently in the ocean. Plastic is such a durable material that according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, every single bit of plastic ever made still exists. The ocean has turned into our own personal landfill, affecting millions of lives. Organizations such as

Within our oceans, there is a system of the ocean currents rotating clockwise around the world called gyres. Within these gyres across the globe, contains the everyday plastic item. An everyday plastic item can be a toothbrush, a plastic water bottle, a plastic coffee mug, or a plastic laundry detergent container. The Earth’s five oceans no longer only have water and sea life situated within the ocean but, plastic as well. Out of all five gyres, the one closest to the United States is the largest. About eighty percent of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land-based activities from North America. The majority of plastics within the ocean will never deteriorate, they will only break down to smaller and smaller pieces (Great Pacific Garbage

There are many forms of pollution that occur from oil spills, radioactive wastes, urban air pollution, the release of greenhouse gases, or agricultural pollution, and one of the most preventable, plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is an accumulation in the environment of man-made plastic products to the point that they become problematic and harmful to wildlife, wildlife habitats, or human populations. This accumulation is due to the excessive use of plastics, which has become a worldwide issue, and is accountable for approximately 10% of discarded waste. It has been calculated that 275 million metric tons (MT) of plastic waste was produced in 192 coastal countries in 2010, with as much as 12.7 million MT entering the ocean (Jambeck et al., 2015). Plastic pollution can be classified based on the overall size and thickness, as microdebris (2 µm), mesodebris (1-5 mm), or macrodebris (>20 mm). Plastic can be very harmful to the land, waterways, and the ocean due to its extremely slow biodegrading process, which can exceed hundreds of years. Plastic debris can also be harmful to marine life causing, entanglement, ingestion of plastic waste, and exposure to the chemicals within plastics, which ultimately affect humans as well.

We 're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutants absorbed, transported, and consumed by fish and other marine life, including the potential effects on human health.

Technological advances have skyrocketed in this world in the recent decade. Smartphones can be used to browse the web, make calls, and take pictures. 3-D printing allows doctors, architects, and engineers to have a more efficient and accurate view of their work. Cars nowadays are faster, safer, and some even fuel efficient. All of these examples have aided people across the globe for the betterment of their overall lifestyle; however, it may be affecting other species’ lifestyle as well. Both of these advances are are made of or have content in it made of plastic. Yes, plastic has revolutionized this world completely, but is it beneficial to all? Plastic pollution is a huge threat to all marine life and its environment. Marine environment, health, and biodiversity are being negatively impacted due to human involvement of plastic pollution. In order to decrease this large pandemic, strict laws must be applied within the use of plastic all over the globe.

Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is still here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable! Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cannot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate change are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the Pacific Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the world’s population has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the natural effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food.