PLASTIC POLLUTION

Plastic pollution is defined as the buildup of plastic items and particles in the environment, which has a negative impact on humans, wildlife, and their ecosystem. A variety of reasons contribute to plastic pollution, including single-use plastics, poor waste management, and insufficient recycling infrastructure. Plastic pollution may harm animals in a variety of ways, including ingestion, entanglement, and habitat damage.

Plastic pollution may also harm human health by exposing people to hazardous chemicals and microplastics in their food and drink.

 Plastics that pollute the environment are classified as micro-, meso-, or macro-debris.

 Plastics are economical and durable, making them versatile for a variety of applications; as a result, manufacturers choose to employ plastic over other materials.

Plastic pollution on land endangers plants and animals, including humans who live on the land.

The level of plastic concentration on land is estimated to be four to twenty-three times that of the ocean. The amount of plastic on land is larger and more concentrated than in water.

In East Asia, 60 percent of plastic garbage is mismanaged and Pacific to one percent in North America. Every year, between 19 and 23 million tonnes of plastic garbage enter aquatic environments, damaging lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic manufactured between 1950 and 2017 became garbage, eventually ending up in landfills or being discarded.

Plastic pollution may disrupt habitats and natural processes, limiting ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change and harming the livelihoods, food production capacities, and social well-being of millions of people.

 Microplastics are microscopic plastic particles that are produced as a result of commercial product development as well as the breakdown of bigger plastics.

Microplastics are thought to survive hundreds of years or more in the environment.

Plastic pollution is a global issue with negative consequences for ecosystems, biodiversity, climate, marine economy, and human health.

Every year, our plastic garbage causes harm to millions of creatures. Many of species, such as birds and turtles, become entangled in plastic garbage. Others, larger creatures such as deer and elephants, perish from eating plastic, which they frequently mistake for food.

Furthermore, every life on Earth is interconnected in some way. When plastic enters the food chain, it eventually finds up in our bodies. Plastic was discovered in human blood for the first time in 2022 by experts.

NEGATIVE EFFECT OF PLASTIC POLLUTION

Plastic pollution is a threat to the ecosystem and below are some highlighted ways by which is affects the ecosystem:

Hazardous emissions: Hydrogen chloride, dioxin, cadmium, and fine particle matter are examples of potentially dangerous pollutants from incinerating plastics.

 Even with improved air laws, plastic incineration can still endanger human health.

Obesity and respiratory disorders: Plastic chemicals have been related to obesity and cancer in adults, while decreased IQ and respiratory problems have been connected to plastic chemicals in children.

Microplastic inhalation: The ongoing effects of microplastics in the air, water, and soil can endanger human health. Microplastics are microscopic plastic particles that are produced as a result of commercial product development as well as the breakdown of bigger plastics.Inhaling microplastics can cause respiratory difficulties as well as other health complications.

Food and water contamination: Plastic pollution may contaminate food and water supplies, opening up new avenues for human exposure.

Plastic toxins have penetrated the food chain, endangering human health. Some plastics include the hazardous carcinogen diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and other pollutants in plastics are directly connected to malignancies, birth deformities, immune system difficulties, and children developmental concerns.

Toxic chemical exposure: Toxic chemical additives and contaminants contained in plastics can endanger human health on a worldwide scale. Cancer is one of the scientifically confirmed health impacts, as is modifying hormone activity (known as endocrine disruption), which can lead to reproductive, growth, and cognitive impairment. Many of the harmful chemical additions are known to have a variety of additional health effects, remain in the environment, and bioaccumulate in exposed creatures.

REFERENCE

1.     genevaenvironmentnetwork

2.     plasticpollutioncoalition

3.     Public health impact of plastics: An overview - PMC - NCBI

4.     Plastic Pollution - UNEP

5.     World leaders set sights on plastic pollution - UNEP

6.     Plastic pollution - Wikipedia

7.     nationalgeographic