HAZARDOUS EFFECTS OF PLASTICS

INTRODUCTION

'Plastics' it is difficult to find a day without using plastics. Plastics used in many ways in our day today life. Some starts a day with packet milk, in grocery shop the things, which one buys, are packed with plastic covers, the water bottles, tea cups, snacks, the dress, furniture’s and whatever new products one buys are wrapped with plastics papers or covers. In this, some of the products wrapped or covered with decomposable plastics and some may be non-decomposable.

Using non-decomposable plastics are very hazardous to nature, which leads to affect all living beings in land as well as in oceans.

WHAT IS A PLASTIC?

Plastics are organic material as same as wood, paper or wool. The primary materials used to manufacture plastics are natural products like cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil. Plastics have become an alternative source and the trendy material of choice.

POLYMERS

Today, some plastic made from plants and bacteria. These plastics called as Bioplastics.

The word plastic is a general term used for many materials, which is synthetic, or semi synthetic in nature.

‘Polymers’ is a common term used for all plastic materials. Plastics are organic polymers with high molecular mass and mostly contain other substances.

The term plastic arrived from the Greek word ‘plasticos’, meaning a new things/products can be formed or shaped or moulded by heating.

Hermann Staudinger Nobel Laureate called as the ‘Father of Polymer Chemistry’.

Herman Mark called as the ‘Father of Polymer Physics’.

Plastics divided into categories:

i) Natural Plastics: Naturally occurring materials, shaped and moulded by heating. E.g. amber it is a fossilised pine tree resins, used in making of jewelleries.  

ii) Semi synthetic Plastics: are made by mixing natural plastics and with other materials. E.g. cellulose acetate, it is a reaction between cellulose fibre and acetic acid, used in making of   cinema films.

iii) Synthetic Plastics: This is used in our day today life. This material obtained by smashing carbon-based materials like crude oil, coal or gas. This is common practice in Petrochemical refineries under heat and pressure. This is the first process in manufacturing commonly used plastics.

Synthetic and Semi synthetic Plastics further divided into two categories.

a) Thermoplastics: plastics can be softened and obtained by heat and made to cool to get the desired structure. Reapplying of heat makes it further soft. E.g. acrylic and styrene generally used in school workshops, Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

b) Thermosets or Thermosetting Polymers: when heated these plastics become softened and when cooled they will set into moulded structure. These polymers melted and shaped only once. Shape remains the same once they become solid e.g. Vulcanization of rubber.

Now lets us see some hazardous facts about Plastics:

• Plastic pollution is one of the significant perils to the Ocean or marine ecosystems. More or less 700 species are in fringe of extinction worldwide due to the plastic debris found on the ocean bed. As per estimation, at least one ton of plastics will be in ocean for every three tons of fishes by the year 2025.
  

• More than 8 million tons of plastics occupy the ocean bed yearly.

• Only 9% of plastics are Recycled.

• Micro plastics: These plastics are smaller than 5mm in size and 95% of this type of plastic settles in the ocean floor without decomposing.

• Macro plastics: These plastics are larger than 5mm in size and found on surface of the water or in beaches.

• Plastics gets break down and settles down in the ocean floor, which leads to dead zones, Hypoxia (Oxygen deficiency) and a change in sediment properties, which is significant for identifying sex in animal eggs.

• The marine organisms by mistake intakes plastics as food, and thus it spread to all levels of food web. This process is known as Bioaccumulation.
  

• PCB – Polychlorinated Biphenyls is a chemical present in plastic pollution can lead to reproductive disorders, death and alters hormone levels.

• In the marine waste, 60%-80% are plastics.

• Mostly all baby sea turtles have plastics in their stomachs.

• For every minute, more than 1 million plastic bags thrown in the trash. Approximately 500 billion plastic bags used annually worldwide.

• Worldwide every year 13 billion plastic bottles used and thrown in the trash.

• The life span of plastic bottle might be 450 years in the marine environment.

  

• The time taken for plastic cups to decompose is 50-80 years.

• Nearly 99% of plastic debris sinks to the ocean floor and only 1% floats on the water.

• Ocean plastics kill 100000 marine mammals, over 1million sea birds every year.

• There are nearly 500 lifeless zones in the ocean due to excessive marine pollution. This doubles for every decade.

• Marine plants produce 70% of Earth’s oxygen.

• Oceans absorb 30% of our CO₂ emissions.

• Out of 1 in 3, edible fishes contain plastic.

• Estimation says that seafood lovers eat 11000 pieces of toxic plastics every year.

• The chemicals used in production of plastics leads to carcinogenic, reproductive disorders, neurological diseases and immune problems in both human and wildlife.

• China discharges a massive amount of plastic in the world. China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam discharge abundant plastics in to the sea than all other countries in the World reported by Ocean Conservancy.

• In the World, 10 river systems contribute to 90% of plastic loads to the sea.

• The rivers Yangtze River, River Indus, Yellow River, Haihe River, River Ganges, Pearl River, River Amur and the River Mekong are in Asia loads 88% - 95% of plastics into the sea and other two are Nile River and Niger River in Africa.

• By 2040, the plastic litters in the oceans will get increases to three times as of now. Due to this, the marine organisms will be in endangering said by Oxford University and other 17 international Experts groups.

• As of now (2020), 1.10 crore metric tons of plastic debris are mixed in oceans every year worldwide.

• If necessary steps are not taken, this number increases to 3.90 crore metric tons (three times) by 2040.

• The plastics in the oceans will not decompose even after 100 years. Therefore, by 2040, the total plastic debris in the marine will be approximately 60crore metric ton.

• Plastics used in medical stream as well e.g.  Syringes, gloves, masks etc.

• Due to Corona, the medical wastes, online food parcels has increased the usage of plastics. This is a very difficult situation to handle it.

CONCLUSION

Plastics used in many ways in our day-to-day life. Plastics are found in mobiles, computers, televisions and in many gadgets or electronic devices that one uses. Plastics found in our homes in roof, walls, flooring, and plumbing works. Plastics used in packaging food materials. Some plastics has additives in it making them fire, bacteria resistant.

Although there are many uses, in 2019, the Centre for International Environmental Law published a report based on the impact of plastic on climate change. Based on the current report, by 2030 the annual emissions will get increase by 1.34 billion tons. By 2050, plastic will emit 56 billion tons of Greenhouse gas.

Plastics made from petroleum so if it burnt it produces carbon emissions, or if stored on the land it becomes carbon sink. If biodegradable plastics used it emits methane gas.

By reducing or avoiding the usage of plastics, one can save the marine organisms, endangered species from death. If the food chain, nature and environment maintained or protected from pollutants there will be no danger for human beings.Thus, we can save our Planet too.

If not then Newton’s Third law happens...

‘For every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction’.