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With the increase of the world’s population, the number of plastic wastes that people produce has increased. Plastic pollution takes place when plastics accumulate in an area and start to have adverse impacts on the environment: plants, wildlife as well as human beings. It is widely known that plastics are incredibly useful materials, but the ignored part is that these materials are frequently made with the usage of toxic compounds. These compounds can cause illnesses and are biodegradable, but it may take very long since the plastics are made to be durable. Therefore, the world at large should eliminate the production of plastics where it is possible to use alternatives because the pollution by their waste outweighs the advantages of convenient usage.
Plastic has many adverse effects on the environment. The ecology all over the world faces the impacts of its wrongful disposal. Today, the highest percentage, about 60-80 % of the total marine debris and 90% of the floating debris, is plastic (Jambeck et al., 2015). When aquatic species experience the terrible effects of plastic degradation, they in return affect the economy negatively through the supply of low-quality food for the communities which rely on fish. Tiny organisms, for example plankton, get hurt by plastic more than others. These small organisms are the food for the larger animals in the marine world (Jambeck et al., 2015). When they ingest the products of the degrading plastic, they become poisoned, and as a result, the animals that consume them also contain toxins. Plastic does not only lead to the pollution of the ocean or any other water body but also to the contamination of groundwater sources. Due to the danger imposed by plastic waste, many regions are already experiencing the problems with clean water supply. The toxic substances in dumps and those from litter seep into the groundwater sources, thereby polluting them. Air pollution is another problem that arises from plastic waste. Although plastic combustion is prohibited in the open air, when it does occur, a significant amount of toxins gets in the atmosphere, resulting in air pollution and making it harmful for animals, especially birds as the smoke rises high after the process of burning. Currently, our environment is crying for assistance against plastic waste. It is clear that plastics, though being useful in many aspects of the daily life, has created a worse surrounding than it would be in their absence.
Although plastic pollution causes harm to animals, it also aggravates human health. Microparticles coming from plastic end up finding their way to the drinking water. More worryingly, the recent research has come up with the suggestion that plastic particles or rather fibers have been found in our drinking water (Li, et al., 2016). The study also shows that treating drinking water may be unable to get rid of them. Most of these microparticles from plastic are less dense compared to water, and thereby they would float and remain in the water. Plastic is manufactured by the use of fossil fuels, for example, oil and natural gas that give toxic emission in the very process of their extraction from the earth (Li et al., 2016). According to the organization known as Earthworkers, which works to protect communities as well as the environment as a whole from the effect of the irresponsible development of energy and mineral, drilling of oil and gas releases a significant amount of toxic substances, adding to the numerous air pollutants present in the atmosphere already (Galloway, 2015). These contaminants include benzene, ethylbenzene, carbon monoxide, and toluene among others (Galloway, 2015). To add to the list, the methane gas also has the capability of leaking and thereby leading to higher greenhouse effects compared to that of carbon dioxide. A great part of plastic bags produced worldwide consist of petroleum. But, in the U.S. most of these bags are made from natural gas that the plastic industry terms as green and clean. On the contrary, these bags are still harmful, to say nothing of the emissions from the extraction of the gas necessary for their production (Li et al., 2016). Plastic also consists of the additives which can off-gas and pollute the air in homes and many other personal spaces. Plastic bags contain phthalates chemicals, which assist in making them soft and flexible. All these chemicals sooner or later pollute the air that human beings inhale and later, after an extended period of inhaling polluted air, they develop illnesses. Various types of plastics spread throughout our sources of water. It is well known that the toxins from plastics do not only affect the ocean but also act like sponges, combining with other harmful substances from the environment around. Thus, before chemicals get into the oceans, they may pose a threat several times larger that the one they initially did. When fish and mammals consume these, they endanger the health of human beings who feed on them. Ten years ago, the scientists discovered that plastic has the potential to be a million times more toxic when cotacting with the seawater (Galloway, 2015). It is because plastic is capable of accumulating a surface layer of pure chemicals from seawater. The resulting chemicals can easily lead to cancer in human beings even when they simply contact the water with the chemicals. Plastic waste is a global challenging issue affecting the water and food consumed by humans. All human beings should try as hard as they can to prevent themselves from the danger of contaminated water by plastic waste. It is then clear that plastic pollution has various undesirable effects on human health by causing water, air, soil, and naturally food pollution.
There are many innovative solutions to tackle the issue. Every year, almost 20 billion used plastic bottles from water or other drinks are thrown away as the trash. It is therefore evident that if we stop buying bottled produce every day, then we will have a solution to this problem (Yeo et al., 2015). Instead of buying a new bottle, people should carry reusable bottles in their bags and just refill them when possible. In case the quality of the local tap water is not completely satisfactory, then it is reasonable to consider installing the built-in filter. Individuals should also acquire zippered fabric bags (Xanthos & Walker, 2017). Investing in these bags means that any time individuals require a bag; they will utilize these bags rather than repeatedly taking the plastic ones from the store. For example, when going shopping, the bags are reusable and therefore will only need to be kept safe and used again and again (Xanthos & Walker, 2017). Lastly, most of the people who make use of the plastic lack the knowledge on the dangers associated with them. It is then essential that people should be made aware of the risks (Xu & Lin, 2018). It is possible through conducting a training session for students. Whenever the students get the knowledge, they in return will pass it to their families, neighbors, and possibly the communities at large. There are many solutions to reducing plastic waste such as decreased buying of bottled water, reduced utilization of plastic bags, and increase in public awareness.
It is clear that plastic wastes have many disadvantages as they are the highest contributors to pollution on the globe. The impacts of plastic affect almost everything and everyone, starting from the protozoan animals and all the way up to human beings. Although there are many ways through which the problem of plastic waste can have a solution, many people have not been ready to apply these methods. The government and other authorities concerned with the areas that get affected by plastic waste need, therefore, come up with effective measures. People have to receive education on this matter as well as other issues of pollution. If a quick and a practical solution is not applied, then in the near future the world will face a disaster. Animals will die, plants will get dry, and people will reduce in number while many more will be under medical care, which by then will also be low as the economy of every country will feel the pinch.
Running head: PLASTIC POLLUTION 1
PLASTIC POLLUTION 5
References
Galloway, T. S. (2015). Micro-and nano-plastics and human health. In Bergmann, M., Glutow, L., & Klages, M. (Eds.). Marine anthropogenic litter (pp. 343-366). Cham: Springer.
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., ... & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.
Li, W. C., Tse, H. F., & Fok, L. (2016). Plastic waste in the marine environment: A review of sources, occurrence and effects. Science of the Total Environment, 566, 333-349.
Xanthos, D., & Walker, T. R. (2017). International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 118(1-2), 17-26.
Xu, X., & Lin, C. A. (2018). Effects of cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors on college students’ bottled water purchase intentions. Communication Research Reports, 1-11.
Yeo, B. G., Takada, H., Taylor, H., Ito, M., Hosoda, J., Allinson, M., ... & McGrath, J. (2015). POPs monitoring in Australia and New Zealand using plastic resin pellets, and International Pellet Watch as a tool for education and raising public awareness on plastic debris and POPs. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 101(1), 137-145.
