its Wednesday today,3rd October...so first of all belated Happy Gandhi Jayanti and Lal Bahadur Shstri Jayanti to all of you...
I am is here again with it's Fourth post....
tonight i am going to discuss the hazards from various kind of plastics and it's effect on environment and living Species...i have projected a brief factual file of Plastic(Classifications,Production etc.) in my last post...
http://youriota.blogspot.in/2012/09/the-plastic-effect-know-your-plastic.html
start with it's evil side this time...
Q: How dangerous are plastics for human?
A: Aquatic birds and fish routinely becomes victims because although plastic does undergo some biodegradation, it doesn’t thoroughly break down. And plastics and their additives aren’t just present in our environment, virtually all of us ingest them as well; plastic is consumed with the food we eat, the water we drink and from other sources.
Two classes of chemicals from plastic are of serious concern for human health: Bisphenol-A or BPA, and additives used in the synthesis of plastics, which are known as Phthalates. BPA is a basic building block of polycarbonate plastics, such as those used for bottled water, food packaging and other items. BPA is a synthetic estrogen and commonly used to strengthen plastic and line food cans. Scientists have linked it, though not conclusively, to everything from breast cancer to obesity, from attention deficit disorder to genital abnormalities in boys and girls alike.
I am is here again with it's Fourth post....
tonight i am going to discuss the hazards from various kind of plastics and it's effect on environment and living Species...i have projected a brief factual file of Plastic(Classifications,Production etc.) in my last post...
http://youriota.blogspot.in/2012/09/the-plastic-effect-know-your-plastic.html
start with it's evil side this time...
Q: How dangerous are plastics for human?
A: Aquatic birds and fish routinely becomes victims because although plastic does undergo some biodegradation, it doesn’t thoroughly break down. And plastics and their additives aren’t just present in our environment, virtually all of us ingest them as well; plastic is consumed with the food we eat, the water we drink and from other sources.
Two classes of chemicals from plastic are of serious concern for human health: Bisphenol-A or BPA, and additives used in the synthesis of plastics, which are known as Phthalates. BPA is a basic building block of polycarbonate plastics, such as those used for bottled water, food packaging and other items. BPA is a synthetic estrogen and commonly used to strengthen plastic and line food cans. Scientists have linked it, though not conclusively, to everything from breast cancer to obesity, from attention deficit disorder to genital abnormalities in boys and girls alike.
Some polymers may also decompose into the monomers or other toxic substances when heated. In 2011, it was reported that "almost all plastic products" sampled released chemicals with Estrogenic Activity, although the researchers identified plastics which did not leach chemicals with estrogenic activity.
Q: How dangerous are plastics for Environment ?
A: Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the chemical bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Since the 1950s, one billion tons of plastic have been discarded and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years. Perhaps the biggest environmental threat from plastic comes from nurdles, which are the raw material from which all plastics are made. They are tiny pre-plastic pellets that kill large numbers of fish and birds that mistake them for food.
Prior to the ban on the use of CFCs in extrusion of polystyrene (and general use, except in life-critical fire suppression systems;), the production of polystyrene contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer; however, non-CFCs are currently used in the extrusion process.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N and 42°N. The patch extends over an indeterminate area, with estimates ranging very widely depending on the degree of plastic concentration used to define the affected area.
SOURCES:
BPA controversy:
.BPA, is an estrogen-like endocrine disruptor that may leach into food.Research in Environmental Health Perspectives finds that BPA leached from the lining of tin cans, dental sealants and polycarbonate bottles can increase body weight of lab animals' offspring. A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease.
Adding to the health risks associated with BPA is the fact that other ingredients are routinely added to plastics. Many of these potentially toxic components also can leach out over time. Among the most common is a chemical known as di-ethylhexyl phthalate or DEHP. In some products, like medical devices including IV bags or tubing, additives like DEHP can comprise nearly half of the of the product. “If you’re in a hospital, hooked up to an IV drip"
Adding to the health risks associated with BPA is the fact that other ingredients are routinely added to plastics. Many of these potentially toxic components also can leach out over time. Among the most common is a chemical known as di-ethylhexyl phthalate or DEHP. In some products, like medical devices including IV bags or tubing, additives like DEHP can comprise nearly half of the of the product. “If you’re in a hospital, hooked up to an IV drip"
As of January 2010, the LA Times newspaper reports that the United States FDA is spending $30 million to investigate indications of BPA being linked to Cancer.
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, present in plastic wrap based on PVC, is also of concern, as are the volatile organic compounds present innew car smell.
The European Union has a permanent ban on the use of phthalates in toys. In 2009, the US government banned certain types of phthalates commonly used in plastic.
Q: How dangerous are plastics for Environment ?
A: Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the chemical bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Since the 1950s, one billion tons of plastic have been discarded and may persist for hundreds or even thousands of years. Perhaps the biggest environmental threat from plastic comes from nurdles, which are the raw material from which all plastics are made. They are tiny pre-plastic pellets that kill large numbers of fish and birds that mistake them for food.
Prior to the ban on the use of CFCs in extrusion of polystyrene (and general use, except in life-critical fire suppression systems;), the production of polystyrene contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer; however, non-CFCs are currently used in the extrusion process.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N and 42°N. The patch extends over an indeterminate area, with estimates ranging very widely depending on the degree of plastic concentration used to define the affected area.
Plastic Photodegradation in the ocean
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has one of the highest levels known of plastic particulate suspended in the upper water column. As a result, it is one of several oceanic regions where researchers have studied the effects and impact of plastic photodegradation in the neustonic layer of water. Unlike debris, which biodegrades, the photodegraded plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining a polymer. This process continues down to the molecular level.
As the plastic flotsam photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, it concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the plastic ultimately becomes small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms that reside near the ocean's surface. Thus, plastic waste enters the food chain through its concentration in the neuston.
Some plastics decompose within a year of entering the water, leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol A, PCBs, and derivatives of polystyrene.
Because of the material’s longevity, plastics pile up in landfills and are occupying the world’s oceans in increasing quantity. Measurements from the most contaminated regions of the world’s oceans show that the mass of plastics exceeds that of plankton sixfold. Patches of oceanic garbage, called Gyres, are swirling vortexes of plastic bits. The North Pacific Gyre, one of several in the world, is expanding at such a rate that from the first time it was studied until now, it has grown from the size of the state of Texas to twice the size of the continental United States. Halden Postulates:
Rolf Halden, Associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute. Halden has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to the ecosystems we depend on.his conclusions are pretty grim. Halden’s study reiterates the fact that the effects to the environment from plastic waste are severe.As Halden points out, annual production alone would fill a series of train cars encircling the globe. “We’re doomed to live with yesterday’s plastic pollution and we are exacerbating the situation with each day of unchanged behavior,” he said.
Halden explains, “the chemical that oozes out goes directly into your bloodstream, with no opportunity for detoxification in the gut. This can lead to unhealthy exposure levels, particularly in susceptible populations such as newborns.”
Because of the material’s longevity, plastics pile up in landfills and are occupying the world’s oceans in increasing quantity. Measurements from the most contaminated regions of the world’s oceans show that the mass of plastics exceeds that of plankton sixfold. Patches of oceanic garbage, called Gyres, are swirling vortexes of plastic bits. The North Pacific Gyre, one of several in the world, is expanding at such a rate that from the first time it was studied until now, it has grown from the size of the state of Texas to twice the size of the continental United States. Halden Postulates:
Rolf Halden, Associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University and assistant director of Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute. Halden has undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to the ecosystems we depend on.his conclusions are pretty grim. Halden’s study reiterates the fact that the effects to the environment from plastic waste are severe.As Halden points out, annual production alone would fill a series of train cars encircling the globe. “We’re doomed to live with yesterday’s plastic pollution and we are exacerbating the situation with each day of unchanged behavior,” he said.
Halden explains, “the chemical that oozes out goes directly into your bloodstream, with no opportunity for detoxification in the gut. This can lead to unhealthy exposure levels, particularly in susceptible populations such as newborns.”
Halden explains that although plastics have some beneficial and legitimate uses in society, their thoughtless misuse has led to a gravely unsustainable condition. “Today, there’s a complete mismatch between the useful lifespan of the products we consume and their persistence in the environment.” Prominent examples of offending products include single-use water bottles, Teflon-coated dental floss and cotton swabs made with plastic PVC sticks. All are typically used for seconds or minutes, yet will persist in the environment, sometimes for millennia.
Ultimately, developing petroleum-free materials for use in smart and sustainable plastics will become a necessity, driven not only by health and environmental concerns but by the world’s steadily declining oil supply. As Halden emphasizes, the manufacture of plastics currently accounts for about 8 percent of the world’s petroleum use, a sizeable chunk, which ultimately contributes to another global concern — the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
“We are at a critical juncture,” Halden notes, “and cannot continue under the modus that has been established. If we’re smart, we’ll look for replacement materials, so that we don’t have this mismatch–good for a minute and contaminating for 10,000 years.”
so the hazard part overs here...after a day or two i will be here with third and the last part of this PLASTIC EFFECT......So Meet you friends with the Last part of this Issue....
Till then Keep saving the Earth...Take care...
and yes please don't forget to comment on this Post...
so the hazard part overs here...after a day or two i will be here with third and the last part of this PLASTIC EFFECT......So Meet you friends with the Last part of this Issue....
Till then Keep saving the Earth...Take care...
and yes please don't forget to comment on this Post...
