The Possible Uses of Plastic in Our Everyday Lives

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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

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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.