Risk of Plastics Essay

Since the beginning of time in the medical field, toxicology has always been a profound question. What is toxic? And what not toxic. This question has pondered medical professionals for years. The toxicity of anything varies greatly, what can and is toxic to one person may not be toxic to another, and so on and so forth, this also includes as to what dosage of certain medicines and chemicals fall into the toxic category as well. What one person can inquest safely might kill another person? So how do we determine what is toxic, and how certain chemicals effect humans and animals? The answer is, we must perform test on something that is similar to the human species. Animals having similar traits and features in the body have often been the experimentation method of choice. By using animals in testing has raised a lot of concern and controversy over the years, but so has testing on human beings. One of the most horrifying examples of human testing was during World War II, the Nazi party in its quest to create the ultimate human species, performed a lot of testing on the Jews that were in the concentration camps with horrific results. But one good thing did come from this testing and that was the general knowledge of what a person could endure resulting in the better treatment of any species being tested for research purposes. The results from various chemical tests have been carried out for the benefit in the risks for humans, animals and the environment they are

The overall food contamination by Bisphenol A is unknown, but the nutrition/ health impact of this chemical is an important subject to be discussed for all individuals. The main aim of one study recently analyzed was to assess the reproductive impact of BPA leached from regularly available polycarbonate plastic containers. The bottles specifically chosen for testing were those that were used by children. The migration of BPA occurs in polycarbonate plastics (i.e. water bottles and baby bottles). Toxicology reports show society the importance of evaluating these products before purchase and consumption as a consumer. For a particular experiment, researchers used Daphnia Magna, a small flea that cleans and absorbs particles that infect the solution they are placed in, and bred them in the polycarbonate containers. A control group was created using water bottles without the infection of these creatures. A GC-MS machine to detect the level of BPA released by each polycarbonate plastic then evaluated the water. An increase in the reproduction of BPA was detected when the Daphnia Magna were bred inside the container. Although these organisms effected the leaching of Bisphenol A, the GC-MS was able to detect, through the control group, that BPA is released without DM. An Eco toxicological effect was observed through all of this testing, and provided evidence to substantiate the fact that Bisphenol A is leached from polycarbonate plastics. The BPA was further analyzed in the Daphnia

It is nearly impossible to comprehend that products and items that we as a society use everyday can create such a catastrophe with our bodies that cancer, autism, and even the reproductive system is affected by these monsters. Even though there are thousands of chemicals that can harm our society, BPA is looked at as one of the ugliest monsters out there today.

In the year 2011 there were many reports in the media regarding bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to adverse health effects like cancer, infertility, diabetes, obesity and ADHD (Newbold, 2009)

In his article, “Why the FDA Hasn’t Banned Potentially Toxic BPA (Yet),” Bryan Walsh seeks to explain the reasons why the FDA hasn’t banned a possibly dangerous chemical from consumers products. Biomonitoring makes looking for microscopic-level doses of chemicals in the body possible. One of them, Bisphenol-A, or BPA for short, is used to harden polycarbonate plastics and manufacture epoxy resin, which are found in everyday products. BPA poses a threat to human health since it disturbs the endocrine systems in our body; which can lead to cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening diseases. However, the FDA refuses to ban the chemical due to studies having a lack of research done on actual humans, but the NRDC argues that it is hard for

Once you open your eyes to it, it’s everywhere, from the Tupperware you eat out, the cans that your food is packaged in, to the helmets you put on your head and the laptop that you’re using. BPA has been used as a plastic hardener for the past 40 years now and is now deeply engrained in our products of modern consumer society. Although it’s children and unborn babies that are the most affected by this toxic chemical, adults are not exempt form

There are scientific concerns about the exposure of BPA has risen in the last few years. THere are a few cities and states in the United States who have banned BPA since they found it in baby bottles. LIttle is known wheather or not BPA really effects peoples babies. THere has been scientific studies on wrine leavles to find out if BPA has an effect on humans.

In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that ocean-based sources, such as cargo ships and cruise liners had dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year. Pollution is a hot topic, but people don't want to talk about it as much as we should. Plastic bags are a huge source of pollution, and they cause a lot of damage. In my opinion, putting a .25 cent tax on plastic bags will help promote reusable bags, and make it affordable to use recyclable bags as well!

PCBs were not the only contaminations which led to the movement of cleaning the oil refinery site, however, it was one of the contaminants that existed above the levels allowed, to the extent that it would be increasingly detrimental if it entered surrounding waters. There are numerous occasions where PCBs have left a negative impact on a community and have shown detrimental effects on the population of a community. PCBs were first recognized in 1968 when rice was cooked in oil that was contaminated by PCBs and poisoned over 1200 individual in Japan. After this incidence and many alike in Italy and Belgium, the U.S. decided to tests the consequences of PCBs in rats. Scientists in the U.S. discovered PCBs caused cancer in rats so it may cause cancer in humans and was banned in 1972.

Subsequently, Jones lectures about how when people recycle plastic bottles they wind up on boats that travel to developing countries; however, most often, China; and in closing stages, the plastic is burned; releasing poisonous chemicals which are exceedingly

Environmentally plastic toys pose a serious threat to people, animals, and our land. Every other month a recall is placed on something plastic whether a toy, kitchen appliance, or car part. Time after time, recalls about plastic in fish and other food sources or

The overuse of plastics in today's society has become major environmental issue for our oceans. Plastic pollution is the dumping, littering, or disposing of any type of man-made plastic that has been produced and has ended up in our ocean and has not been recycled.

Clearly, bisphenol-A is a chemical that people or animals should consume. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shown concern about possible effects of BPA on humans. The possible effects can harm very young children, fetuses, the brain, behavior, and hormones.

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.

PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins have been in focus recently as there are concerns that the different structures are appearing to mimic the effects of female oestrogenic hormones. (Gray 1996) These chemicals can cause genetic chromosomal problems and major concerns to the reproductive effectiveness of marine animals. Oil spills and the burning of wood and coal can cause poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which has a negative effect on all wildlife causing genetic abnormalities. (EMCBTAP-ENVIS Newsletter 2002).