Plastics

From grocery bags and containers, to medical devices, plastics are now used in almost every aspect of everyday life, creating a much simpler and safer world. Although plastics carry hundreds of benefits, these do not completely counter the harmful effects that they have on the environment and on the health of humans. The amount of plastic that has been created since 2000 is nearing the total amount that was created in the entire last century, and as this demand increases, so does the knowledge of their environmental costs. Plastics are now known to be laced with chemicals that when consumed by animals can injure them greatly, when buried deep in landfills their harmful chemicals can spread into groundwater, and the bisphenol A (BPA) found in polycarbonate bottles can seep into the food and drinks that they are holding. Despite all of their advantages in simplifying and improving our everyday lives, plastics prove to be extremely harmful and dangerous in the long term. Plastics have proven to be extremely dangerous for animals. Although plastic manufacturers claim that every additive that is used in them is carefully evaluated, the compounds have been found in numerous bodies of tested animals and there are direct links between these chemicals and their health. The additives affect the reproduction and development in animals as well as their brain functions. Plastic bags also play a huge role in the deaths of marine animals because they are easily mistaken for food. Once they are ingested, they cannot be digested, leading to a slow and painful death. Because they take so long to break down, when an animal dies and decays, they are released back into the ocean to kill more animals. Approximately 100,000 marine animals are killed each year by plastic pollution. Some countries have gone to the lengths of banning plastic bags to protect their wild life. Although they are extremely convenient to consumers, they are a waste of energy and pollution because of their