Plastic and Its Impact on Earth
Plastic: It’s Impact on Earth
BRIANNA NGUYEN
16/11/2012
Plastic has become such an integral part of society; it is used in nearly everything. They are accepted by a majority of people as an important feature to all products such as cellphones and bags because of their high resilient properties, their affordability, accessibility, and their low weight. With all these positive elements of plastic, it may seem that plastic is completely problem-free. The only problem is; there is a very pressing problem regarding plastics. Plastic can have negative impacts for the environments around them as well as the people being exposed to it. For this reason, society must become more informed about the plastic they are using and its disposal method. Ever since the 1940’s when plastic began its mass production, the rate of manufacturing of plastic has drastically increased (Knoblauch, 2009). In fact, the amount of plastics being manufactured within the last ten years is comparable to the amount that was manufactured within the previous century (Knoblauch, 2009). Plastic is made to last for a long time thanks to the unregulated amount of chemicals that are added to it; the same chemicals that are known to be potentially dangerous to humans. Even though humans are the ones creating such mess, they are not the only ones who are affected by it. Marine life and their environment are constantly being hurt due to the 8.4 million tons of plastic waste that accumulate in the ocean per year (Karpus, 2012). Unless plastic awareness and waste management methods are enforced, plastic will continue to harm life on Earth.
The manufacturing of plastic as well as the dangerous chemicals found within the plastic has become an evident issue regarding the rise of health conditions. Researchers believe that the amount of exposure one has with plastic and its toxin compounds may be linked to the rise in health conditions. Globally, there are over 80, 000 chemicals in industrial production with
BRIANNA NGUYEN
16/11/2012
Plastic has become such an integral part of society; it is used in nearly everything. They are accepted by a majority of people as an important feature to all products such as cellphones and bags because of their high resilient properties, their affordability, accessibility, and their low weight. With all these positive elements of plastic, it may seem that plastic is completely problem-free. The only problem is; there is a very pressing problem regarding plastics. Plastic can have negative impacts for the environments around them as well as the people being exposed to it. For this reason, society must become more informed about the plastic they are using and its disposal method. Ever since the 1940’s when plastic began its mass production, the rate of manufacturing of plastic has drastically increased (Knoblauch, 2009). In fact, the amount of plastics being manufactured within the last ten years is comparable to the amount that was manufactured within the previous century (Knoblauch, 2009). Plastic is made to last for a long time thanks to the unregulated amount of chemicals that are added to it; the same chemicals that are known to be potentially dangerous to humans. Even though humans are the ones creating such mess, they are not the only ones who are affected by it. Marine life and their environment are constantly being hurt due to the 8.4 million tons of plastic waste that accumulate in the ocean per year (Karpus, 2012). Unless plastic awareness and waste management methods are enforced, plastic will continue to harm life on Earth.
The manufacturing of plastic as well as the dangerous chemicals found within the plastic has become an evident issue regarding the rise of health conditions. Researchers believe that the amount of exposure one has with plastic and its toxin compounds may be linked to the rise in health conditions. Globally, there are over 80, 000 chemicals in industrial production with