Since starting up this blog, I've done a bit more research into the effects of plastic pollution. There is definitely a lot of information out there about the plastic threat, and it's nice to see so many people taking initiative to shed light on this topic. Over the course of my web-searching for information on the pollutant, I have noticed three main, recurring reasons why plastic is such a huge environmental threat. In this post, I'm going to overview these three main reasons. Enjoy!
1. Plastic takes an incredibly long time to biodegrade. In fact, it will never really biodegrade - just break down into smaller and smaller pieces. Biodegradation depends on tiny bacteria eating materials, thus breaking down the materials into compounds that ecosystems can then use. But bacteria don't eat plastic, so any disposable water bottle, plastic straw, or shopping bag you throw out will stay out there forever.
2. Some types of plastic contain dangerous toxins. These chemicals, including, to name a few, BPA, phthalates, and dioxin, can cause cause cancer later in life (especially breast cancer) and affect your health in many ways. These chemicals can be released by heating or reusing certain plastics, and when these products are thrown out, they leach into ecosystems, poisoning organisms and water sources.
3. Plastic pollution affects all living things. What with air pollution, water pollution and soil pollution, no animal, plant or any other living creature is safe. Ocean wildlife get tangled up and die in discarded fishing nets. Plants absorb toxins through their roots. Animals die from drinking poisoned water. And it affects us, too - we end up eating those plants, drawing water from the same water sources, and finding our fishing grounds diminished by the effects of plastic.
The truth is, plastic pollution affects us all. It is up to us to take responsibility for our actions and help face this world-wide threat.
Sources:
howstuffworks.com
breastcancerfund.org
conserve-energy-future.com
plasicpollutioncoalition.org
homeguides.com
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