Unusual ways in which plastic pollution harms your health
By now we are familiar with the implications plastic waste has on our health and on the health of the planet too. However, the bigger picture is even less pleasant to look at. The negative impact of plastic goes beyond just environmental pollution and waste management problems. Humankind is looking at a potential economic and lifestyle upheaval on a large scale, across the planet and it can best be broken down into these aspects.
Are We Ready to Pay the Environmental Cost of plastic?
“Today micro plastics seem to have found a permanent spot in the food chain as almost all sea creatures will ingest plastic particles at some point in their lifespan.”
For too long studies have been warning us that plastic pollution is a serious threat to the environment. Not only does plastic waste permanently alter the morphology of plants and soil, most of the plastic waste that is expelled into the environment is likely to stay there forever. For years, plastic waste has been accumulating in the oceans and threatening marine life including turtles and fish. Research says that as a result, today micro plastics seem to have found a permanent spot in the food chain as almost all sea creatures will ingest plastic particles at some point in their lifespan.
Is Plastic really meddling with Human Anatomy?
“Plastic waste is impacting human life even before it comes into existence.”
Toxic secretion from plastic is inevitable, once it comes in contact with heat or radiation. Health conditions like inflammation, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and necrosis are associated with plastic, once it enters the human body through ingestion or inhalation. A recent medical study found that microplastics were present in the umbilical cord of a new born baby, meaning that plastic waste is impacting human life even before it comes into existence.
Can Plastic lead to an economic meltdown?
It is not a farfetched thought to believe that plastic is taking over all aspects of human life and the economic front is no different. Each year, governments are putting away millions to carry our cleaning drives to eradicate plastic pollution from the affected areas. Moreover, identifying and creating landfills for plastic waste without completely destroying the local ecosystem is possibly the biggest challenge. Excessive plastic can hamper the landscape and take a direct toll on tourism and local habitation of the affected area. These factors play a significant role in the economic success of any location.
Other Big Picture Problems
“Individuals and corporations who are resorting to questionable means of replacing plastic entirely.”
In the 21st century, plastic has become a trigger word for many individuals and corporations who are resorting to questionable means of replacing it entirely. This has led to a surge in other harmful alternatives like oxo-biodegradable plastics that pose a bigger threat to the environment as companies lack the knowledge of what goes into the making of these plastic alternatives and what is the right way to dispose them off. Rather than focusing on being intentional with plastic usage, most of the focus has shifted to finding alternatives that are only adding to the problem of plastic waste.
The onus of researching and choosing the best course of action lies in the hands of big corporates that are required to be mindful about identifying ethically made alternatives that are genuinely sustainable in nature and help in solving the problem rather than adding to it.
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