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8/13/2019 The Possible Uses of Plastic in Our Everyday Lives
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If we come to think of the possible uses of plastic in our
everyday lives, the list would be endless. Name anything, from
aircrafts to plates and saucers, almost every product uses
plastic in some form or the other. Ever since manufacturers
started manufacturing plastic in a large scale in the '40s, its
applications have increased manifold. Net year, !00 million of
plastic will be produced worldwide. "he usage of plastic is so
wide that it has become an indispensable part of human life.
plastic #oon or #ane$"his wonder invention has a dark side too. %s its applications
are increasing, so is the awareness about its ill effects. %
step towards finding the harmful effects of plastic on human
health and environment is a compilation of articles by authors
from around the world. "he compilation is first of its kindaiming to review the ill effects of plastic on environment and
human health. "his compilation has been published in this months
issue of &hilosophical "ransactions of the oyal (ociety #.
%ccording to the report the plastic production in the first
decade of the twenty first century will e)ual the entire
production of the last century.% red alert or environment*isposable packaging in form of bottles and bags is the biggest
culprit contributing towards environmental littering. "he report
says that more than +,0 speciesof animals have been known to
ingest plastic debris. -nce in an animals stomach, it can poison
it due to the chemicals that have accumulated into
it. #arnes conducted a research in %mundsen sea ,the only sea
without any research center on its coasts and has no urban
centers around it for miles, and found plastic floating on its
waters. %lso, due to low temperatures of a)uatic habitats, the
longevity of plastic is increased. %lgae and tubeworms cling to
the plastic debris on the shores littering the ice. "he
composition of plastic is resistant to decay to an etent thateven burying it doesn't impede its harmful effects and it
ultimately finds its way into groundwater.ow it a ects the human health$&lastic is harmful to human health as well because chemical
added in plastics are ultimately absorbed by the human body
altering the hormones. umans are eposed to chemicals of
8/13/2019 The Possible Uses of Plastic in Our Everyday Lives
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plastics via air, water, dust, food and consumer
products. &hthalates, used as plastici/ers in wall coverings,
vinyl flooring, food packaging and medical devices, finds its
way into the human body. #esides, bisphenol % #&%1is also
reported to have found its way into drinks and food through
polycarbonate bottles and food and beverage can linings.
&olybrominated diphenyl ethers *E's1, added to foam furniture
cushions, mattresses are found to be harmful. *espite studies
revealing a relation between plastic and heart diseases,
reproductive abnormalities, diabetes and brain development,
scientists reiterate the need for more sophisticated studies in
these areas.% stitch in time...(cientists stress on focusing on plastic's reusability instead
of promoting it as a disposable commodity meant to be discarded."he idea is to make it more easily recyclable and reducing its
manufacturing. #oth industry and society needs to see it as a
raw material rather than waste. % very good option is making
biodegradable plastic made out of soy and corn more available.
%s of now, biodegradable plastic accounts for only 0.2 percentof
the total plastic production the world over. (cientists are also
apprehensive about the total degradability of these
biodegradable plastics. "he report emphasi/es the use of safer
alternatives to plastic. "his initiative is known as 3reen
hemistry.4onsumers' responsibility"he report also stresses on making the end consumer aware of the
chemical content of plastic products so that they can
differentiate between what is harmful and what isn't. (ince most
consumer would never go for environmentally harmful products,
providing them facts about the products contents would go a long
way in ushering in a paradigm shift and the acceptance of
plastic in our day to day lives. "he authors say that 'if
plastics are made and used responsibly, they can help solve some
environmental problems'. "hus legislation alone is not the
answer, the responsibility also lies with the consumers.
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