Unanticipated Consequences of Inventing Plastic - Case Study Example

Unanticipated Consequences of Inventing Plastic Impact on the Marine Environment Plastic marine debris is one of the main types of marine debris in the world today. It is most common of marine debris along the beach. However, it is not common underwater. Scientists continue to research and reveal more about the influence of plastic marine debris on water and aquatic animals. Quantification Monitoring large amount of debris No research quantifies the exact amount of plastic marine debris deposited into large masses of water every day. Article review of some research studies mentions certain estimates1. However, no scientist can confirm any of the existing estimates. It is essential to know the type and quantity of debris to help in comprehending the impact of plastic marine debris to the aquatic environment. The influences of plastic marine debris to the environment constitute some of the unanticipated consequences of inventing plastic. NOAA runs a project to follow up surface waters and beaches in the process of checking all types of debris on water. Plans are underway to include the monitoring of water column, seafloor, and sediments. The count of Microplastic Debris The biggest question surrounds plastic debris pieces at the beach. It is important for scientists to use laboratory methods to count small pieces of plastics of less than five millimetres referred to as microplastics. Courtesy of the scientists from the University of Washington, Tacoma, a method of quantifying microplastics using weight is in use. The method also applies in quantifying plastics used for personal care products. They include among other products scrubs using abrasives and facial cleaners. Degradation Plastics eventually degrade into small pieces. The lower temperatures in the water means that the process of degradation takes longer compared to the process on land. Various features have an important role in determining the rate of degradation. The factors include environmental conditions, molecular weight, chemical composition, and additives among many other factors. Mineralization is the process of full degradation into water, carbon dioxide, as well as inorganic molecules. However, research reveals that plastics do not mineralize in water namely in streams, oceans, and seas. On the contrary, they break down in smaller pieces. Bio-based plastics Bio-based plastics exist in both development and the market2. They are wheat, corn, algae, and tapioca. They use renewable carbon sources as opposed to the plastics that source carbon fossil fuels applied traditionally. However, bio-based plastics have similar features to other plastics in terms of polymer behaviour. They do not undergo degradation in any different way in the environment. Biodegradable plastics The design of biodegradable plastics makes them break down in a landfill or a compost pit. The compost pile has high temperatures that create a suitable environment for the development of microbes that accelerate degradation3. The difference is that pits and piles can only take place on land and not in the seas and ocean. Overall Impacts Plastic marine debris carries the potential to cause negative influences in two major ways. The negative influences are both direct and indirect. Direct Influences Intake Research shows that marine life eats plastic. Marine life constitutes sea turtles, sea birds, marine mammals, fish, and sharks among many more. A literature review of studies in this area reveals that no scholar has delved into analysing a detailed physical damage caused by eating plastic by marine life. Plastic have the potential to cause damage or irritation to the digestive system. Scholars across the field document that ingesting inert and indigestible plastic marine debris causes obstruction of the mouth, digestive tract, as well as stomach linings of different species. Effects of obstruction are many and diverse. They prevent organisms from eating food resulting in the deficiency of nutrients and ultimate starvation. Retaining plastics in the digestive tract convinces the species that it is full of food (satisfied) yet it is plastic debris4. The result is starvation and malnutrition in other incidences. Piling up of plastic materials dilutes the uptake of nutrients and gaining of energy as well in the juvenile loggerheads and post-hatchling. Entanglement of direct impacts Most fishing gear items are products of plastics including pots, nets, and traps. When discarded or lost, they last longer in the environment. The gear items become derelicts and either floats or sit at the bottom of the ocean and in the process pose an entanglement risk to all type of marine species. Entanglement results to death through starvation, drowning, maiming, and physical damage. Among other issues, entanglement limits mobility with the consequence of infection, laceration, and the likelihood of mortality. Predators find it easy to net entangled animals5. The design of fish gears aims at trapping and catching marine animals. Therefore, derelict fishing gear continues with the designed work of entangling and trapping both target and non-target animals indiscriminately. Scholars refer to this problem as ghost fishing and take place with derelict nets. It involves both derelict fishing traps referred to as entrapment and derelict nets called entanglement. Through ghost fishing, the target animals quit the population left to people engaged in fishing. Ultimately, fisheries as resources and economies feel the impact. Indirect Influences Pollutants Plastic marine debris collects and pile organic pollutants including PCBs and POPs up to one million times the degree of pollutants found in seawater and oceans. Tests on ocean fragments found the presence of other types of POPs including PAHS, DDT, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Most of the pollutants covering DDTs and PCBs constitute endocrine developmental toxicants and disruptors. Research shows that PCBs can move from contaminated plastic into tissue chicks. To the marine environment, chemicals come through various non-point channels. The situation makes it complicated to evaluate what plastic debris pollutants contribute to the concentrations in aquatic animals. Scientists hold it as a valid concern that the chain can develop and flow through the system of various animals considering the ability of biochemical accumulating in any species. Overall impact on marine The fact that plastic has a greater impact on marine environment is far much disturbing. The single use of plastic products and use of disposable plastic items effectively turns the oceans and seas into plastic dumping sites. Although, plastic is not the only garbage in marine, it contributes to the highest degree of garbage. The proportion of plastic garbage varies between eighty and sixty percent. 5 Gyres, a an organization specialising in marine research finds that a high content of visible parts of plastic as well as more dreadful plasticising chemicals is present in all the five leading ocean gyres. Slow-moving currents large acting as bug whirlpools in oceans define what ocean gyres are. Impact on Sea Birds and Aquatic animals Not only do plastics cause pollution to the marine environment, they also wash up the shores of seas and oceans as researchers find them in the bellies of marine animals and as well as on the bellies of dead sea birds. Continued accumulation of plastic debris causes major threats to sea birds, marine animals, fish, turtles, and crustaceans. In many cases, threats offered by the debris remain mechanical and straightforward primarily. Particular animals entangled in openings of floating traps, in the loops, as well as submerged debris in water. Other animals ingest plastics that block the digestive system. It is easy for entangled animals to drown, have their abilities to get food interfered, and become easy prey for predators. Ingested plastic debris could damage stomach linings of the animals that eat the material besides reducing the ability to feed. Resource managers tend to overlook in addition to dismissing the idea of proliferation of harmful plastic materials because the simple nature of the threat that appears deceptive, the size of oceans, and likely abundance of marine life. However, research availed by scholars gives developing information pointing to the mechanical influences of plastic materials having many negative influences on animals in water. The negative influences give good reason for the recognising continued accumulation of plastic debris causing significant levels of pollution in the marine environment. The environmental toll of plastics In many ways, plastic continues to model the society in a way that makes life safer and easier through things such as bicycle helmets, cell phones, hospital bags, and computers among many more Boerger C, Lattin G, Moore S, Moore C. (2010). “Plastic ingestion by planktivorous fishes in the North Pacific Central Gyre.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 2275-22786. However, the synthetic plastic products lave harmful imprints to human health and the environment. Scientists across the globe agree on this fact. The first comprehensive analysis of the influence of plastics on the environment together with the health of people has contributions from more than sixty scientists. The report also offers likely solutions to emerging and existing problems. The fragmentation and accumulation of plastics is one of the most long-lasting and ubiquitous changes on earth. The increased use plastics also increase the need for the study of the environmental toll of plastics7. Research by various scholars has evidence of chemical building blocks associated with the versatility of plastics entailing elements with the potential to harm both the health of people and the environment. The disposal of accumulated plastics poses an array of problems to the environment. Human bodies absorb chemicals added to plastics during chemical mixing. Scientists find that some of the compounds in the mixture interfere with the functioning of hormones as well as systems of the body. It causes various effects on human body. Plastic debris mixed with chemicals and taken by aquatic animals with the capacity to poison or injure aquatic animals is another negative influence. Floating plastic waste have the ability to survive for thousands of years in water after disposal is another influence. The waste is an option of mini transportation gadget for invasive species that potentially disrupts aquatic animals. Furthermore, people burry many plastic items in landfills and compost pits that eventually leach harmful chemicals spreading into groundwater. The world uses four percent of oil production as a feedstock to make plastics with a similar amount spend in consumer products. The exposure to chemicals by people comes through various channels many times. Channels include dust, air, food, water, as well as consumption products. Phthalates for instance, work as plasticizers during the manufacture of wall coverings, vinyl flooring, medical services, and food packaging. Statistics show that almost one-ninth of babies and all adults have quantifiable levels of phthalates. Linings of beverages, food cans, and polycarbonate bottles potentially leach into drinks and food. According to the American Centre for Disease and Control and Prevention, more than 90% of people have detectable levels of BPA running through their urine8. Furthermore, the report finds that increased exposure of infants within the neonatal intensive care nurseries to phthalates and BPA remains act of great concern. Chemicals applied in the manufacture of plastics show certain effects to the development and reproduction in animal studies according to Centre for Disease, Control, and prevention. Other studies find a relationship between chemicals and adverse influences on the lives of people including reproductive aspects. A review of animal literature on the same topic shows a relationship between levels of exposure and negative health outcomes. The existence of measurable levels of chemical compounds in more than 90% of the population compounds the idea. Increased exposure by people to BPA makes a person vulnerable to diabetes, heart diseases, and other cardiovascular diseases. Studies on animal specimens with PBDEs revealed potential damages on the reproductive system and the development of the brain. On the contrary, the effects on human health remain largely unknown. Many studies recommended sophisticated evaluations to identify the precise influences on the health of people. The Environmental Impact and prevalence of single use of plastics The versatility of plastics and their nature makes them possible to convert them into products of varying flexibility and strength. That explains their use in home furniture, car bodies, office furniture, water bottles, computers, and packaging materials that need storage and transportation. In other cases, plastics are by-products processes of manufacturing petroleum. It makes them inexpensive products to access. Increased use of plastic increases the quantity of municipal solid waste. Plastics contribute to more than thirty million tons of waste in America accounting for at least twelve percent of total waste. The invention of plastics did not anticipate the consequences of single use of plastics. Single use plastics are products of plastic materials applicable in packaging of manufactured products cutting the most high tech such as computers to basic products like packaging drinking water. The Toxic effects of single use of plastics Examining the toxic levels of single of use of plastic materials revolves around the use of plastics to package foodstuffs. The commonest source of toxicity to humanity is water used in packaging drinking water. Notorious toxins are Biphenyl A and Phthalates. They have the tendency of leaching into water and food at a high rate compared to other toxins. Inappropriate discarding of single use plastics ends in water bodies such as seas and oceans. In the water, they continue to leach chemicals for many years, as their rate of degradation is low. Researchers find deposits of phthalates along fatty tissues in the body. Here, they act as anti-androgens. The same researchers hold that phthalates play a great role in causing various multifunctional such as dysfunctioning of the male reproductive organ, testicular cancer, and growth of breasts9. Food grade plastic materials have BPA dubbed polycarbonates. It is also applicable in health institutions as disposables, but with serious estrogenic influences. The effects of estrogenic remain detrimental to the lives of people always. The targeted parts are placemental tissues. Other effects of BPA include retardation of the growth of intrauterine, premature births, still births, and preeclampsia as well. Animal studies that find carcinogenic effects of BPA are important in making these conclusions. The carcinogenic influences are breast and prostrate areas. BPA alters the functioning of urinary tracts and prostrate channels in tested animals. Experimental evidence shows positive results on neurological development. Scholars in recent years find the effect of BPA on affecting diabetes and insulin resistance. Different process of manufacturing plastics means that plastics have different effects because of the differences in chemical composition and proportions. The risk to environmental health Generally, the rate of decomposition for plastics is very low. Intermolecular bonds in the components of plastics make them remain in the environment for thousands of years. They also float in water easily because of low density. Discarding plastic items in watershed areas end up in rainwater sewerage systems. They choke the outlets of sewers because of delayed retrievals. Increased usage of thinner plastic items increases the possibility of blocking sewers. Flooding in Bangladesh and China serve is an example of the effects of plastic blockage of outlets of sewer systems. The flooding is common during rainy seasons. Data from Algalita Marine Research Foundation plastic materials in oceans around the world weigh more than one hundred million tons. Watershed regions of the world contribute to more than eighty percent of this waste. Improper disposal of wastes such as street dumping, visitors leaving garbage, and unused pellets of plastics during the manufacture causes the increased number of wastes. Western Garbage Patches in the Pacific Ocean are of notable mention. Invention of plastics brought a major concern to environmentalists. They are submerged piles of garbage dubbed islands of plastic debris. Most of them remain submerged partially. It is one of the main areas focused on by Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Garbage in the island circulates for an average of twelve years. They degrade slowly and in the process continue to trap aquatic animals and kill others. The influence of vulnerable population The common call from environmentalists is that people should avoid manufacturing and using plastic products as toys10. Plastics can cause suffocation to people and children as the most vulnerable. Having plastic products as toys means extending great care to children when playing with such items. Further warning comes from having plastic coverings of things such as mattresses. Removal of such covers reduces the risk posed by plastic products. Chemical additives to plastics during manufacture pose another harmful effect of plastics. They always appear in newly born children transmitted though mothers. These mothers remain exposed to toxins when they are pregnant. Children encountering chemicals in their immediate environment constitutes the second group of vulnerable people. Chemicals including phthalates and BPA have the ability to cross from mother to child through the placenta therefore; they can impair the process of development causing neurological harm. Additional evidence exists to prove the role of BPA and other chemicals in causing cancer in children and derangements of hormones. The impact of toxins is greater in children compared to adults because of their weight. The factors include environmental conditions, molecular weight, chemical composition, and additives among many other factors11. Mineralization is the process of full degradation into water, carbon dioxide, as well as inorganic molecules. However, research reveals that plastics do not mineralize in water namely in streams, oceans, and seas. Toxins impair the development of the nervous system as well as brain in children. Mostly, toxins interfere with the levels of genes responsible for mutation thereby, increasing chances of malignancies later in the lives of children. During growth, children accumulate chemicals in fatty tissues appearing through negative health influences later in adulthood. Solutions to the problems To get solutions to these problems, stakeholders need to put together various steps. First, people need to reduce single use of plastic items. Numerous alternatives to single use of plastics already exist12. Lack of awareness within the public domain as well as self-interest by manufacturers makes it difficult to market alternatives to water bottles and plastic shopping bags. The responsibility falls on the government and other organizations to encourage the use of alternatives. The government could increase taxes of single use plastic products. Single use plastic products are the cheapest in the market13. People can also adopt plastic bottles that are biodegradable. It causes various effects on human body. Plastic debris mixed with chemicals and taken by aquatic animals with the capacity to poison or injure aquatic animals is another negative influence. Floating plastic waste have the ability to survive for thousands of years in water after disposal is another influence. The waste is an option of mini transportation gadget for invasive species that potentially disrupts aquatic animals. Furthermore, people burry many plastic items in landfills and compost pits that eventually leach harmful chemicals spreading into groundwater. List of References Andrady, Anthony. (2011). "Microplastics in the marine environment." Marine Pollution Bulletin 62: 1596-1605. Araujo M, Santos P, Costa M. (2006). “Ideal width of transects for monitoring source-related categories of plastics on beaches.” Science Direct 52: 957-961. Ashton, K., Holmes, L., and Turner, A. (2010). "Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment." Marine Pollution Bulletin 60.11: 2050-2055. Barnes, D. K. A., F. Galgani, et al. (2009). "Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364.1526: 1985–1998. Bennett, G. R. (1960). "Rubber bands in Puffins stomach." British Birds 53: 222. Boerger C, Lattin G, Moore S, Moore C. (2010). “Plastic ingestion by planktivorous fishes in the North Pacific Central Gyre.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 2275-2278. Braid, H. et al. (2012). "Preying on Commercial Fisheries and Accumulating Paralytic Shellfish Toxins: A Dietary Analysis of invasive Docidicius gigas (Cephalapoda Ommastrephidae) Stranded in Pacific Canada." Marine Biology 159 (1): 25-31. Brander, Susanne, et. al. (2011). "The Ecotoxicology of Plastic Marine Debris." The American Biology Teacher 73 (8): 474- 478. Browne M, Dissanayake A, Galloway T, Lowe D, Thompson R. (2008). “Ingested Microscopic Plastic Translocates to the Circulatory System of the Mussel, Mytilus edulis (L.).” Environmental Science & Technology 42. 13: 5026-5031. Browne, M.A., et al. (2011). "Accumulation of Microplastic on shorelines worldwide: sources and sinks." Environmental Science and Technology 45.21: 9175-9179. Cadee G. (2002). “Seabirds and floating plastic debris.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 44: 1294-1295. Read More