Plastic Bottle Mold Effects On Animals

When ever you go to the beach, do you ever think about what can happen to an animal and the water when you leave a wrapper in the sand or a plastic bottle in the water? If you think about it, even a small piece of plastic can harm a fish. The fish could mistake it for food. This could potentially kill the fish. There are other things that people d that pollutes the ocean. An oil spill from a boat can get fish sick (Doc.2). Also, solid waste, plastics, glass, and foam (OI). Marine life can get trapped in any of these items (OI). There are many things we can do to prevent this, like, reducing plastic waste in stream, improve solid waste management, and increase, capture, and reuse (Doc.1). These are just a few of the many things we could do to

It has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Plastic debris, laced with chemicals is often ingested by marine animals and can injure or poison wildlife. Cattle and other animals are ingesting it, a substance that doesn’t break down, piling up within them. Thousands of marine mammals are killed after ingesting plastic mistaking it for food or getting caught in it. The marine animals mainly affected are: sea turtles, ingesting plastic; seals and sea lions, entangled in packaging; seabirds like the Laysan albatross, ingesting plastic; fish, consume and breath plastic; also whales and dolphins, consume 31% of the marine plastic

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.

The problem with plastic ending up in the ocean is that marine life is being harmed by the presence of it. A study done on the harbor seals in the Netherlands found that more than 12% had plastic in the digestive system (California Coastal Commission). The list of affected species indicates that marine debris is affecting a significant number of species. It affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (Save our shores). The problem is underestimated because the marine life that ingests plastic or dies from entanglement often goes undiscovered due to the vastness of the ocean, as they either sink or are eaten by predators before they are discovered (Plastic Debris). The potential harm from ingestion of plastics is not restricted to seabirds. Plastic bags drifting on ocean currents resemble the prey of turtles. There is evidence that their survival is being hindered by plastic debris with young sea turtles being vulnerable (Ocean pollution). Over the past 20 years polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have polluted marine food webs at an increasing rate, and are prevalent in seabirds. Though their adverse effects may not always be apparent, PCBs lead to reproductive disorders, increase the risk of disease and alter hormone levels. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on marine organisms even at very low levels and plastic pellets could be a route for PCBs into marine food

Almost 96% of plastic bags are disposed of in landfills (Williamson, 2003). This leads up to another problem as plastic bags are non-biodegradable - in other words, plastic bags do not biodegrade for over a thousand years (Stevens 2001). Plastic bags may also land in farms and in oceans which have an impact on the wildlife. Livestock such as cows may eat plastic bags while grazing. These pose a threat if ingested as they may tangle in their stomachs, causing serious injuries and potentially death (Dreyer et al, 1999; Rasmussen 1999). Each year over a billion birds and mammals die due to the ingestion of plastic bags (Baker, 2002).

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.

Every year, millions of tons of plastic are tossed into the ocean, harming all types of marine animals as well as the environment. Hundreds of marine mammals like whales and dolphins are found washed ashore filled with bottle caps, plastic bags and basically anything they can swallow. Not only does plastic pollution harm marine life, but it affects the entire ecosystem. If a predator is dependent on a certain species for prey and the predator has a role in the environment, it is important for the prey to not be disturbed by pollution. If that species of prey were to go extinct, then the predator species could be seriously impacted as a result. These problems warrant the need for more research into the magnitude and causes of plastic

Chemical compounds that are commonly heard of today such as BPA (bisphenol A) is a toxic compound found mostly in plastics and then are dumped into oceans that begin to poison our waters where humans, but mostly animals drink and ingest through the nose. (Barry, 2009). Another toxic chemical such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be harmful to animals on land and in sea can leak from plastic water bottles. This intoxicates the water where animals drink and swim, causing them to grow ill and maybe even die. (Breast Cancer Fund, http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/environmental-breast-cancer-links/plastics/?referrer=https://www.google.com/) By eliminating much of the plastics consumption that ends up in the oceans, we will prevent animals and humans also from being affected by the harmful chemicals being produced.

Almost every time you finish a water bottle you throw it away, which, depending on whether you recycle or not, can really hurt the environment. It's been proven that about 80% of the water bottles thrown away are irresponsibly disposed of into landfills. The plastic used to make water bottles is made of oil, which can take over a century to decompose. While they are decomposing, the water bottles will sit in the landfills until they eventually get blown out by strong winds. When the bottles fly into a local park or forest, an animal might try to eat the plastic. The plastic, which is made of oil, ends up hurting the animal because they have not adapted to consume it. The bottles may also end up inconveniently flying into a person's yard and making it look less professional, and for some people, that's very

Even the smartest mammals get caught in situations where plastic looks a lot like food. Most marine mammals get caught in fishing nets because what do fishing nets contain… food such as fish and shrimp. So they end up getting stuck unable to get out because unlike us we have hand that can get us out. They end up living most of their life with plastic wrap around their necks, fins, plastic sticking out of their mouth, and blocking their air way. They suffer throughout their life trying to adapt to the way they used to live before a plastic bag, bottle of water, plastic rings affected them in a tremendous way. Plastic may seem little, harmless even but it does a great deal of damage that can end a life. If plastic was able to break down then just maybe it won’t be as

Australian marine wildlife is becoming obsolete at what seems to be a very fast rate. It is quite common to watch the news on national television and hear about our coastlines becoming drowned in plastic and toxic waste. Misuse of goods such as plastics in our communities, are being found in our waters which in turn, is causing life threatening disasters for marine wildlife. Plastic debris can cause injury or death through drowning, entanglement, internal injuries and starvation from ingestion (“Marine Debris - What is Australia doing - Home Page”, 2016). Through the misuse of plastics Australia now has a number of endangered and vulnerable species in our marine wildlife. Thus, this inquiry will explore the impact and severity that plastic

According to greentumble.com, the author states that “Plastic bags and their associated plastic pieces are often mistaken for food by … marine life like fish and sea turtles.” This shows that any sea animal could be the next victim for the vicious plastic bag. According to conserve-energy-future.com, the author states that, “What happens when they consume these plastic materials is that their digestive system gets congested leading to the development of health infections and death when there is suffocation.” This shows that the effect of these plastic bags on the helpless marine life could get ugly very fast. According to the third and final article, ecowatch.com, the author states that “One in three leatherback sea turtles have plastic in their stomach, most often a plastic bag, based on a study of over 370 autopsies.” This shows that the plastic bags are on the attack and are searching for their victims at rapid speed. Plastic bags should be banned because they are ruthlessly damaging innocent creatures that mean no harm to

Discuss the cause and effect of plastic debris on seabirds? Marine population are vastly being endangered by all sorts of debris including plastic that found their way into waterways and the ocean. Seabirds have being found with entanglement around their legs and bills which affect their ability to protect themselves against predators (Ceccarelli, as cited in Australian Government Department Sustainability environment water population and communities, 2012, p. 3). Also Allen, Jarvis, Sayer and Mills remark plastic entanglement cause by fishing materials and other circle shape plastics may cause strangulation,, prevent the ability to feed themselves and even drowning (as cited in sigler, 2014). Plastic debris also crate problem with the feeding habits of seabirds, as they cannot define plastic from their normal food chain. Derraik observed that seabird diets has been affected by plastic as seabirds mistake coloured plastic debris from fish, fish eggs and larvae (as cited in Acampora, schuyler, Townsend & Hardesty, 2014, p. 1). Although as observed by

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.

Due to their regurgitation ability; most studies have focused on the ingestion of plastic pollution by bird, this does little harm to birds used in the studies. The effects of ingestible plastic on fish have not been studied as thoroughly and no studies have been conducted on filter-feeding organisms, which do not possess a feeding mechanism which would allow them to distinguish between plastic and plankton. Plastic pollution is only getting worse due to increasing population of developing countries. A wide variety of marine species is known to be harmed by plastic debris. This could threaten the survival of certain species, especially since many are sadly endangered by other types of anthropogenic actions.