Chemicals & Plastic Pollution
What makes plastic dangerous for us and marine life? Well, ingestion it the most immediate answer. We have all seen the news stories about whales & turtles that wash up dead from plastic ingestion. Absolutely heartbreaking. But plastic is also harmful because of the toxic chemicals inside of them. All of these chemicals from the plastics in our oceans are seeping into marine life & into us
Plastics are composed of synthetic & natural occurring polymers. Some of the natural components are shellac & tar. Some of the synthetic polymers are polyethylene, polypropylene, & polyvinyl chloride. During the production of plastic, a lot of toxic chemicals find their way into the mixture. These include flame retardants, pigments, & UV stabilizers. Many of these chemicals are known endocrine disrupters & POPs (persistent organic pollutant). They can harm & ruin animal reproduction & development upon ingestion & absorption into the bloodstream. We have already seen the damages of POP’s with a pod of orcas in Scotland who will soon be extinct due to infertility from PCB poisoning. They have not had a calf in 23 years.
Microplastics are eaten by zooplankton, crabs, fish, & marine mammals. Some ingest it directly, others through trophic transfer, & there are studies suggesting some fish can take in plastic through their gills. The chemicals in the plastics are then released into the organs of the animals. Not only will these animals suffer from malnutrition but they become contaminated with chemicals. And guess what? We’re eating these fish! We are ingesting plastics & pollutants that are decades old. We are becoming infected with plastics. There is plastic in our salts, water bottles, seafood, & more. It is a global epidemic. While we can’t just stop it altogether we can each do little things to make a difference. Pick up some plastic from a beach. Bring a reusable water bottle. Shop at farmers markets to avoid plastic wrapping on foods ( or grow some of your own produce! ). Bring a reusable plastic bag. Simply be more aware of your plastic intake. And determine where you can cut some of it off. It’s small but I promise it is helpful