The Dangers Of Plastics And Its Effects Of Plastics

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.

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

The plastic around the world is building up to become a huge world problem. Each year eight million tons of plastic

One material dominates the entire world, a material incapable of degrading for centuries and used in all facets of life. While very new to the earth, this synthetic polymer has flourished rapidly since the 1950’s, and, still at full throttle in the 21st century, the Age of Plastic sees no imminent end. Plastic continues to ascend at an exponential rate as its plethora of uses extends to new branches of technology and innovation. Even with their differences, both the working class American and the CEO of an industrialized company utilize plastic for its low cost and versatility. Nevertheless, humanity cannot sustain this nonrenewable resource for long, and eventually the issues of this material will one day outnumber the benefits.

Hemp is more commonly referred to as Cannabis, which is the entire genus. Cannabis sativa is what is grown for industrial/commercial use. Mainly the cannabis stalk and seed is used for products such as textiles, food, fuel, building materials, personal hygiene, paper, and biodegradable plastics. Hemp is different from marijuana, specifically in the THC

It also leave harmful chemical remains on earth. As compared to normal plastic, biodegradable plastic takes a shorter period of time to decompose. Normal plastic has harmful impacts on the environment such as affecting natural habitats and marine wildlife. In the final report for the department for the Environment Australia, at least 77 species of marine fauna have been recorded as being impacted by plastic debris in Australian waters over the last three decades (2009). The constant rise in biodegradable plastics of global production capacities in figure 4 increases the chances of biodegradable plastic fully replacing plastic as an alternative

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

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.

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

There are a variety of stakeholders involved in the worldwide issue of plastic pollution including local, national and international governments, non-government organizations (NGO’s) and corporations with all these stakeholders having a different range of perspectives and solutions on the matter it is increasingly difficult to gain consensus on how to jointly address this global problem. (reference).

In this paper, I will explain the overuse of plastics, and how plastic is affecting marine life, and increasing plastic waste on land. I will also be explaining how social media’s are affecting the lives of teenages and adults all over the world, because of how much we depend on them. More than 80% of the litter in the ocean originates on land. Most of the litter is plastics. In an interview, Richard Thompson stated, “Plastics are very long-lived products that could potentially have service over decades, and yet our main use of these lightweight, inexpensive materials are as single-use items that will go to the garbage dump within a year, where they’ll persist for centuries,” Chemicals added to the plastics can be very harmful to the human body, and other organisms or animals when consumed. When consumed by an animal, plastic can clog an animal’s stomach, and poisoning them with the chemicals that plastic is made from. When consumed by a human being, the plastic can change the hormonal rates of people, and cause long term health problems, or even give children disabilities, or mental problems.

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.

Plastics are synthetic materials that are made from synthetic resins or organic polymers. Examples of these polymers include nylon, PVC, and polyethylene. Plastic pollution involves the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, and humans. The prominence of plastic pollution is correlated with plastics being inexpensive and durable, which lends to high levels of plastics used by humans. However, it is slow to degrade. Plastic pollution can unfavorably affect lands, waterways and oceans

First off, we need to look at how does plastic waste hurt organisms in oceans. For starters, the 5.25 trillions of plastic particles in the ocean has been spread out, acting as a small cover for the ocean (Eriksen-Reisser et al., 2014). With these particles being so small that we cannot see them with the naked eye, small marine organisms like zooplanktons consume these particles because the zooplanktons believe the particles are food (Tibbetts, 2015). As a result, zooplanktons become filled with more toxic substances than normal. As these zooplanktons get eaten, the

They consume growing amounts of energy and other natural resources, degrading the environment in numerous ways. In addition to using up fossil fuels and other resources, plastic products create litter, hurt marine life, and threaten the basis of life on earth. There is over 45 million tons of plastics per year and nearly every piece of plastic ever made still exists today because of its long-life properties. Biodegradable plastics could be an effective solution to all of these problems. Biodegradable plastics are a much better choice than non-biodegradable plastics because they are friendlier to the earth and the environment. Biodegradable plastics break down faster, can be recycled easier and are non-toxic. With these characteristics of biodegradable plastics, we could help save lives and the environment as well and reduce the threat plastics give to marine life. Plastic, the wonder material that we use for everything, is perhaps the most harmful of this trash because it does not readily break down in nature but if it is biodegradable, these plastics break down faster so they have a much shorter effect on the earth, and they will degrade completely. Normal plastics are manufactured using oil, and this process is very harmful to the environment by polluting the air and environment, but this is not the case with green biodegradable plastics. Using biodegradable plastics will minimize the effects that these products