Plastic

November 2, 2011

PLASTIC, THE “GREATEST” MATERIAL EVER CREATED
Plastic materials trace their origins back to the 1868 and like any other material it has become one of the world’s most importantmaterials of use. As it’s to know, plastic can’t decompose itself and it takes at least 500 to 1,000 years to start decomposing. So where’s all this plastic that we consume daily? Does this affect us?We need to get rid of all this plastic.

Like any other material, plastic have their origins in nature, such as basic chemical elements as carbon, oxygen, etc… But certain chemicals added to plasticare absorbed by human bodies and have been found to alter hormones and cause severe damages. Polyvinyl Chloride is one of these chemicals. It’s used for certain plastics such as cooking oil, peanutbutter jars, and others, but is well known for negative effects on kidneys, bone formation, body weight, and liver cancer. Some of these release a certain toxin which affects the nervous system, thebrain, blood cells, kidneys, and stomach. It’s well known as polystyrene or as we know it, those Styrofoam trays, cups bowls and carry out containers. A research made in March of 2006, stated that 6 ofthe largest baby bottle manufacturers will discontinue the sale of baby bottles that have been using bisphenol – A. This chemical mimics the action of human hormone estrogen. It was found to stimulateprostate cancer, genetic damage, etc… Plastic is used for every single thing right now, but notice, they aren’t as beneficial and helpful as they seemed.

Every time we go out to buy groceries, weuse plastic bags to carry our food. Then, as we don’t need them anymore, thinking they will get recycled. Wrong. As of August 2010, between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are being used eachyear worldwide. Approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die every year because they either mistake the bags for food or get strangled in them. And because it takes a long time to...