Plastic Pollution By Sunil Krish
Pick up that plastic 'cause it's not goin' to move itself
Got some plastic problems?
Plastic is everywhere...and it's pretty grim.
Plastic Pollution and its Effects on Land, Water, and Life
Plastic production across the world has grown from about 1.5 million tons in 1950 to 225 million tons in 2010. Over a few decades, humans have managed to dump tons upon tons--over 10 million tons each year, in fact--of plastic garbage into the ocean and on land. Plastics take hundreds and even thousands of years to decay which makes them very devastating if left in a terrestrial or marine environment in large amounts. As a result, fish and wildlife are becoming intoxicated because of these practically immortal plastics. Consequently, the toxins from the plastics have entered the food chain, threatening human health. In the most polluted places in the ocean, the mass of plastic exceeds the amount of plankton six times over. Several plastics completely destroy ecosystems, including Styrofoam(which sinks lower and lower through the ocean in which it spreads and destroys habitats). These are large examples that leave the problem of polluted oceans undeniable. On land, even with plastic's light mass, it takes up a huge amount of space and litters many feeding areas. For example, with birds: many of them cannot distinguish between small critters and plastic, and they find themselves dying or being harmed by eating these wastes. There needs to be a lot more done for this problem as marine and terrestrial animals are dying because of improper disposal of plastic as well as because of clogged environments. We cannot forget about humans. There are so many effects on humans that can't be determined because of the fact that there are hardly any people unexposed to plastics to actually be able to study. BPA is a chemical found in plastics that can be very toxic to humans and can even stunt child development. Many forms of plastics, if ingested, can cause several types of cancer. These are just a few examples of the many threats and effects plastic pollution has on biological lifeforms across the world.
What We Can Do!
Say No To Plastic Pollution In Oceans
Say No To Plastic Pollution On Land
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Email: contact@plasticpollutioncoalition.org
Website: http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
Location: 2150 Allston Way, Suite 460, Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: 323 936 3010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlasticPollution/?ref=hl
The 5 Gyres
Website: http://www.5gyres.org/what-we-do/
Location: 3131 Olympic Blvd, #302, Santa Monica, CA, 90404, US
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5gyres
National Resource Defense Council
Email: 20nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Website: http://www.nrdc.org
Location: New York City, NY, United States
Phone: (212) 727-2700