Plastic: Types and Benefits - Research Paper Example

DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC Dangers of Using Plastic (Name of university) DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 2 Abstract Although plastic is a material that has a variety of uses, it poses tremendous risks to the environment, human health and to the well-being of other animals. This research paper is designed to explain what plastic is and the dangers associated with the use of plastic. First, the paper gives a definition of plastic and discusses the properties or characteristics of plastic that makes it so popular. Next, it discusses the benefits or the pros of using plastic and the consumption in the US. The next section of the paper takes a look at the cons of using plastic – the dangers posed by the use of plastic to the environment, to human health and to other animals. This research paper will attempt to show how the use of plastic will have detrimental effects on the environment and on our health. DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 3 Introduction Plastic plays such an important role in our lives. That is the reason why plastic has often been described as the material with a hundred or more uses. Whether we are at home, at school or in shopping malls, we are surrounded by plastic. Our cell phones, laptops, electrical appliances, furniture and even clothing may contain plastic. However, despite its many uses, plastic poses tremendous risks to the environment, human health and to other animals. Out of the 100 billion plastic bags that Americans throw away every year, less than 2% is recycled. The rest ends up as trash in landfills. Trash in landfills is not only an eyesore, it is also a health hazard. Even if trash is disposed of properly in a bin, they can still be blown away easily. It is when plastic ends up as trash, that we understand the insidious effects of using plastic. The question that is often asked now is whether the use of plastic should be allowed or prohibited? Public opinion is divided. Advocates of plastic mainly producers and retailers argue that using plastic bags is not only convenient but that they also do less harm to the environment when compared with using paper bags. Moreover, they argue that banning plastic usage will result in many people losing their jobs. They are also of the opinion that banning or limiting the use of plastic especially plastic bags will push more people towards using paper bags which will result in greater environmental damage. On the other hand, those opposed to the idea of using plastic maintain that plastic is non-biodegradable and that when they are discarded, they will remain intact for decades. Only DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 4 incineration can result in the disposal of plastic. Incineration has its attendant risks; it causes noxious fumes to be released into the atmosphere. Due to this, the second group consisting of mainly environmentalists, conservationists and health experts insist that the use of plastic be limited. What is Plastic? Plastic is manufactured from hydrocarbons that are found in oil and natural gas. It is formed when molecules, known as monomers bond together. Different types of monomers create different types of plastic each type of plastic has different properties or characteristics. While some are soft and pliable, others are strong and durable. Use of Plastic – Statistics The United States alone produced 13 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, 11 million tons as durable goods and nearly 7 million tons as nondurable goods in 2009 (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). This shows the prevalent use of plastic in many industries including the electronics, automobile, food, furniture and textile industries. Plastic – Types and Benefits There are two main types of plastic : thermosets and thermoplastics. The first type of plastic known as thermoset solidifies when heated. This type of plastic is known for its durability and strength. Therefore, thermosets are used in the automobile and construction industries. They are also used in the making of ink, coatings and adhesives. DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 5 The second type of plastic, thermoplastic softens when exposed to heat. Being soft and pliable, thermoplastics are used to make jugs, credit cards and carpet fibers because they can be easily shaped and molded. Plastic has several other benefits. Since plastic is light, it is ideal for making small appliances such as microwave ovens, benders, mixers, food processors and hair dryers. Because of its thermal and insulating properties, plastic is ideal for wiring. Being versatile, it can be used for packaging and storing purposes. It can be used to pack food and to store medication. No home is complete without plastic containers to store edible or inedible things. Moreover, plastic is non-corrosive and easy to color. Due to these properties, we can find car parts made of plastic and these include bumpers, fenders and housings for headlights. Since plastic is lightweight, its use reduces the weight of vehicles like cars, buses and even helicopters and aircraft. This increases the fuel efficiency of these vehicles. Plastic is also extensively used in the construction industry. Plastic is used in the making of pipes and valves. Plastic is also used in the making of decorative items like in flooring, doors, windows, panels and others. Computers and laptops would not have been so compact and portable if it had not been for the use of plastic. Plastic made it possible to house all the components in a compact compartment. DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 6 Dangers of Using Plastic In spite of the host of benefits of using plastic, there are many environmental and health problems associated with the production and disposal of plastic materials. The increasing volume of plastic wastes in many countries is a cause for concern. This is because plastic wreaks havoc to the environment, the health of human beings and to animal and plant life. Environmental Damage In 2009, the United States generated 30 million tons of plastic waste and this represented 12.3 percent of municipal solid waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, of the more than 380 billion plastic bags used in the United States every year, 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually. The increase in the use of plastic has resulted in a wide variety of disposable plastic products. Disposable products always end up as trash in landfills. The trash that accumulates is more than just an eyesore. It is a health hazard as well. Plastic bags, for example, end up as litter and plastic bags that are dumped in landfills may take up to a few decades to break down especially when buried in landfills, away from sunlight and oxygen. In the process, they separate into smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. When this happens, plants will be adversely affected. Moreover, the production of plastic uses large quantities of oil. Oil, as we all know, is not a renewable source of energy. Thus, the manufacture of plastic takes a heavy toll DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 7 on one of earth’s fast dwindling resources. Plastic production takes up as much as 8% or the world’s oil production (Plastic Pollution, Environmentally Responsible Recycling Information, 2009). In addition, since plastic products are non-biodegradable, the only viable option is to get rid of them by burning them. Burning plastic releases toxic fumes into the atmosphere and this aggravates air pollution. The manufacture of plastic products, for example, does irreparable damage to the environment. The huge number of plastic bottles manufactured by the bottled water industry is eventually discarded by consumers. This has exacerbated the problem of waste disposal. According to a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), about 1.5 million tons of plastic are used in the bottling of 89 billion liters of water each year. Furthermore, the energy required to manufacture and take these bottles to market has caused a strain on earth’s valuable resource – fossil fuels. Damage to Marine Life Plastic bags, if not disposed of properly can become a threat to various animals. According to the EPA, this happens when plastic bags make their way to water bodies like streams, rivers and seas. These plastic bags may get wrapped around aquatic and marine animals and suffocate them. When these bags end up in the sea, they kill marine mammals that mistake the floating bags for food. Sea turtles, for example, may mistake DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 8 plastic bags for jellyfish. Once plastic bags are ingested, they clog up the stomachs of marine animals and eventually cause them to die. One of the most serious threats to our oceans is plastics pollution. Plastic constitutes approximately 90% of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile. Why is there so much plastic in the ocean? Unlike other types of trash, plastic does not biodegrade; instead, it photo-degrades with sunlight, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces, but they never really disappear. These plastic pieces are eaten by marine life, wash up on beaches, or break down into microscopic plastic dust, attracting more debris. (Plastic Pollution – Save My Oceans) Damage to Human Health The greatest concern about plastic is the detrimental effects of plastic use on human health. People are exposed to toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium and carcinogens not only during production but also by using plastic packages. One of the common practices today is to wrap all foodstuffs with plastic wrapping. Just a walk around the food section of any supermarket, hypermarket or mall will reveal that most of our foodstuffs come with plastic packaging. Health experts are concerned that some of these plastic wraps contain chemicals and endocrine disrupters that can interfere with the hormones in the body. Studies are ongoing to determine whether these disrupters can cause breast cancer, defects at birth, low sperm count and development problems in children. DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 9 The number of people drinking bottled water is on the rise. People drink bottled water for a number of reasons and convenience tops the list. Industries producing bottled water have a negative impact on the environment. Manufacturing plastic bottles, packaging, then marketing and shipping them burns energy. Moreover, these manufacturing plants produce greenhouse gases and discharge polluted industrial water. Meanwhile, scientists have discovered that high amounts of the chemical BPA can seep out of plastic bottles that have been used over and over again. BPA is linked to hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm count and early puberty. Similarly, there are health concerns about reusing plastic bottles. As these bottles get older, there is danger that toxic substances like phthalate may leach into the water making the it unfit for human consumption. What We Can Do to Curb the Damage Man’s obsession with plastic is slowly but surely filling up our planet with toxic materials. When plastic products are discarded or are not disposed of properly, the harmful chemicals build up in the environment and in our bodies. Unless we do something now, we may not be able to avert a major environmental disaster in the near future. As responsible and caring citizens, we can take immediate steps to curb the damage to our environment and our health. In the first place, we have to reduce our dependence on plastics. Instead of plastic, we can use other alternatives like glass. When going DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 10 shopping, we should bring our own shopping bags and carry our own reusable steel or ceramic containers for food and drinks. Avoid buying products that are made of plastic. When storing food, use glass containers. Last but not least, we should pass the word. Tell people about the toxic chemicals in plastic. Knowledge is the key towards understanding about the detrimental effects of using plastic. A lot has been said about the dangers of using plastic but little has been done. It is time we walked the talk. Actions speak louder than words. As responsible consumers, we have to discard our docile image and act responsibly. The onus is on consumers to act globally and responsibly. If consumers throughout the world join forces and boycott plastic bags and other plastic products, then producers will stop or limit their production. The actions of a single person will not have any significant impact. However, if the majority of us act in a responsible manner, then we can expect changes in the mindsets of the others. We have not inherited Mother Earth from our ancestors; we are merely caretakers. As responsible caretakers, we must ensure that we take good care of our planet and pass it on to our future generations. Conclusion The use of plastic has environmental, health and economic advantages as well as disadvantages. Although it offers advantages such as durability, flexibility affordability and light weight, it creates a host of problems such as contamination of the environment, DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 11 health problems and the dwindling of the earth’s resources. People who support the banning of plastic do so for several reasons. In the first place, plastic is made up of dwindling natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas. Second, aquatic, marine and land animals are strangled, choked and killed when they consume plastic bags or get caught in them. Plastic has also become a major cause of litter and plastic materials pollute both the land, beaches and waterways. Moreover, plastic takes a long time to biodegrade. Finally, plastic is a health hazard. Many governments are now aware of the seriousness of the situation and are taking measures to combat the problem. These measures include imposing a tax on plastic bags to discourage their use. By imposing a tax, consumers may decide to switch to other more environment-friendly reusable bags. In Ireland, for example, customers have to pay a tax of about 20 cents per bag. This has cut the amount of plastic bags by as much as 90 percent. Many other countries like Bangladesh, Italy, South Africa, Taiwan and India have either banned or reduced the use of plastic bags. Though plastic products do seem to make our lives more convenient, they will ultimately to more good than harm. They will, eventually, make life difficult for us. By being addicted to a way of life that is killing us, we are also destroying the place where we live. The time is now right to make a decision. Are we going to turn a blind eye to the destruction of the planet that has already been set in motion or are we going put a stop to the destruction that is taking place? \ DANGERS OF USING PLASTIC 12 References The Wall Street Journal / US (June 12, 2009) online.wsj.com/article/SB124473522987806581.html Articles about Plastic Industry -New York Times http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=656&navItemNumber=1128 Retrieved April 8, 2011. Adverse Health Effects of PlasticsPlastics http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/pollrecyclingplastics.html Plastics Task Force http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html Retrieved April 8, 2011 The Benefits of Plastic and Polymers in our society http://www.plasticsindustry.com/plastics-benefits.asp Retrieved April 8, 2011 Plastic Pollution, Environmentally Responsible Recycling Information http://www.degradablepolymers.com/plastic_pollution.html Retrieved April 8, 2011 Plastic Pollution – Save my Ocean http://www.savemyoceans.com/plastics.php United States Environmental Protection Agency : Marine Debris http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/debris/factsheet_marine debris.html Retrieved April 8, 2011 Read More