Harmful effects of plastic essay

Harmful effects of plastic essay

Plastic pollution - the process of accumulation of products from plastics in the environment, adversely affecting the wild nature, habitat of wild animals and people [1]. There are many types and forms of plastic pollution. Plastic pollution adversely affects the earth’s surface, waterways and oceans. Efforts to reduce plastic pollution are being made in various regions and include efforts to reduce plastics consumption and encourage recycling. The spread of plastic contamination correlates with the low price and durability of plastics, which determines the high level of their use by humans [2].

For 2018, a year around 380 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide. From 1950 to 2018, about 6.3 billion tons of plastic was produced, of which about 9% was recycled, and 12% was burned [3]. A huge amount of plastic waste inevitably enters the environment, and research suggests that the bodies of 90% of seabirds contain plastic [4].

Harmful effects of plastic bags on human

Plastic pollution can poison animals, which, in turn, can adversely affect the food supply to humans [14] [15]. Plastic pollution was described as having very detrimental consequences for large marine mammals and in the book Introduction to Marine Biology was called the “most serious threat” to them [16]. Some marine species, such as sea turtles, have been found with a significant amount of plastics in the stomach. When this happens, the animal usually goes hungry, because plastics block the animal's gastrointestinal tract. Marine mammals can sometimes become entangled in plastic products, such as nets, that can harm or kill them.

More than 260 species of animals, including invertebrates, are reported to either accidentally swallow plastic or become entangled in plastic. When an individual becomes entangled, its movement is sharply limited, which makes it very difficult for him to find food. Entanglement usually leads to death or severe ruptures and ulcers [17]. It has been estimated that more than 400,000 marine mammals die annually as a result of plastic pollution in the oceans. In 2004, it was estimated that gulls in the North Sea had an average of thirty pieces of plastic in their stomachs [18].