This World Environment Day focused on a critical environmental health issue—plastic pollution. And while many people know that plastic can harm the environment, its contribution to poor air quality and poor health outcomes is often overlooked.
Plastic waste tends to release toxic chemicals and break down into microplastics if not managed properly. Microplastics are tiny particles, up to 5 mm in diameter, that can be suspended in the air and enter the human body through breathing. Inhaling microplastics has the potential to severely affect health, and children and elderly people are particularly at risk.
Mitigating air pollution from plastics requires collective efforts from government, communities and civil society. Vital Strategies’ Environmental and Climate Health team engages with governments and the health sector, providing technical expertise and consultative services to inform policies and influence public discourse about air pollution and its health impacts around the world. For example, in Indonesia, we partner with Jakarta’s city government and nongovernmental organizations to improve air monitoring, identify leading sources of pollutants, and measure the health impacts and costs of air pollution. In India, we work with state health departments, clinicians and local advocates for clean air to promote policies to reduce emissions.
Plastic contributes to air pollution across its life cycle, from production to disposal. Through reduction in plastic consumption and effective and efficient waste management, we can create pathways to cleaner air and better health.
Burning plastic and other types of waste releases dangerous substances such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POP), and other toxic chemicals into the air and persist in ash waste residues. These chemicals have been linked to the development of asthma, endocrine disruption, and cancer.
We are in a habit of throwing the plastic bags and containers we get with packed food almost immediately after use even though these can be used a couple of times before disposing off. We should reuse these instead. This can be our contribution towards reducing the plastic waste and bringing down plastic pollution.
Did you know research has shown so much plastic is picked up by wind that the average human could be inhaling up to 16.2 bits of plastic every hour – equivalent to an entire credit card a week? Plastic was made for the convenience of human consumerism and consumption, but it is polluting the air we breathe.
As of 2021, roughly 98 percent of plastics are made from fossil fuels, contributing to rising greenhouse gas emissions. Global plastic production alone generates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to approximately 1.96 gigatons of carbon dioxide annually.
Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year for use in a wide variety of applications. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments.
Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean. This marine litter and plastic pollution endangers aquatic life, threatens human health and results in myriad hidden costs for the economy.
Waste plastic bags are polluting the land and water immensely. Plastic bags have become a threat to the life of animals living on earth as well as in water. Chemicals released by waste plastic bags enter the soil and make it infertile. Plastic bags are having a negative impact on human health.
Recycling is an important part of the solution to ocean plastic pollution. After doing everything we can to reduce our use of single-use plastic, it is important that we prevent the rest from escaping into the environment. Capturing plastic for recycling is a key way to do that, but we don't do it enough.
The majority of plastic pollution in the ocean is caused by littering: we buy or use disposable plastic items (food wrappings, plastic bags, razors, bottles, etc.) and do not dispose of them properly, which cause them to end up in the waterways and eventually in the ocean.
Because single-use plastic is produced from fossil fuels, extracting and creating these plastics emits vast amounts of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that just the extraction of these fossil fuels and their transportation to plastic factories emits 1.5 to 12.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases.
Most plastic pollution comes from inadequate collection and disposal of larger plastic debris known as macroplastics, but leakage of microplastics (synthetic polymers smaller than 5 mm in diameter) from things like industrial plastic pellets, synthetic textiles, road markings and tyre wear are also a serious concern.
It's also linked to respiratory disease, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. And that's just to name the physical effects. Impact plastic has on wildlife. Plastic and its resulting degradation to landscapes may cause severe mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
Many chemicals found in plastics are endocrine disruptors, which can cause an imbalance in hormones, reproductive issues, and even cancer. Also, microplastics can leach harmful chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. Both of these types of chemicals are known to interfere with hormones.
The Ocean is not only a dumping ground for plastic waste. It has also become a major emitter of plastic particles into the atmosphere. This is shown by scientific studies on the little-known phenomenon of plastic aerosolization, which contributes to air pollution.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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