Problems Created By PLASTICS

Content

Introduction Plastic PollutionEffects on The Environment

• Land• Ocean

CirculationEffects on Animals

• Entanglement • Ingestion

SolutionPrevention

Introduction

Modern technology has created the plastics age. Plastics do not easily decay and can thus be used for a long time. Plastics bags have made human life easier. However, they have also created problems especially to the environment, because many users throw away the used bags in any place.

Plastic Pollution

Plastic bags are made of various chemicals which are mainly toxic. That is certainly very harmful to the health and the environment. These are toxic chemicals that are sources of various diseases as well as disorders in humans. They will not only affect humans and animals but also plants, water and air. Plastics create the most harm to the marine life.

Around the world, plastic pollution has become a growing plague, clogging our waterways, damaging marine ecosystems, and entering the marine food web. Much of the plastic trash we generate on land flows into our oceans through storm drains and watersheds. It falls from garbage and container trucks, spills out of trashcans, or is tossed carelessly.

Effects on The Environment

The distribution of plastic debris is highly variable as a result of certain factors such as wind and ocean currents, coastline geography, urban areas, and trade routes. Human population in certain areas also plays a large role in this. Plastics are more likely to be found in enclosed regions such as the Caribbean.

LandPlastics can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, which can then seep into groundwater or other surrounding water sources and also the ecosystem. This can cause serious harm to the species that drink the water.

Ocean In 2012, it was estimated that there was approximately 165 million tons of plastic pollution in the world's oceans. In the oceans, some plastics like Polystyrene sink, while foamed plastics float on the oceans surface. Sunlight and wave action cause these floating plastics to fragment, breaking into increasingly smaller particles. This plastic pollution is becoming a hazard for marine wildlife, and ultimately for us.

Circulation

Our oceans are dynamic systems, made up of complex networks of currents that circulate water around the world. Large systems of these currents, coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create “gyres”, massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash can accumulate

Effects on Animals

Plastic pollution has the potential to poison animals, which can then adversely affect human food supplies. Plastic pollution has been described as being highly detrimental to large marine mammals. Some marine species, such as sea turtles, have been found to contain large proportions of plastics in their stomach.

Entanglement

Entanglement in plastic debris has been responsible for the deaths of many marine organisms, such as fish, seals, turtles, and birds. These animals get caught in the debris and end up suffocating or drowning. Because they are unable to untangle themselves, they also die from starvation or from their inability to escape predators. In a 2006 it was estimated that at least 267 different animal species have suffered from entanglement.

Ingestion44% of all seabird species, 22% of Cetaceans, all sea turtle species, and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies. When marine animals consume plastic trash, presumably mistaking it for food, this can lead to internal blockages, dehydration, starvation, and potentially death.

Solution

Plastics Made from Plants Instead of Toxic Chemicals:

Bio plastics are plastics derived from renewable natural sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn or peas .Bio plastic can be made from agricultural by-products.

Prevention Stop using bottled waterBring your own reusable grocery bags with you when you go to the storeUse silverware instead of plastic utensilsDownload your music instead of buying CD’sBuy only the items that are not made of plasticAvoid plastics that are not readily recyclable, e.g. PVC

A ppt by E.l Denis Leander