Plastics Are Affecting Our Environment and Personal Health 1

Plastics are causing adverse effects on the Environment and Human Health

Suzanna M. Mancilla

Salt Lake Community College

Plastic, in a variety of forms, are serious toxic materials affecting the environment and

human health. These man-made materials are releasing toxic chemicals that causes exposure to

many aspects of human life. The plastics that we demand are leaching out its chemicals into

food, drinks, and products. A situation where children up to adults are exposed to illnesses that

are most often left untreated due to their lack of knowledge of the issue.​ ​According to

(Vandenberg et. al), “A study from the scientific community showed that 95 percent of the over

2500 participants aged six and older in the United States had Bisphenol A, a commonly unknown

chemical component in plastic, in their urine”. Exposure to these toxins can be prevented through

an effort by not only the manufacturers, but also by consumers. Consumers everywhere should

know why there are potential exposures to harmful chemical coming from plastic materials.

There are many chemical additives that give plastic products its flexible and convenient

properties. BPA or Bisphenol A, for example, is often used in food, beverages, and containers.
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These forms of plastics are contaminated with additives that have been linked to diseases such as

cancer, cardiovascular, and diabetes. A plastic softener called phthalates are found in plastic that

has the potential to cause endocrine health problems. The same toxins that are not only having

human health effects, but also negative environmental effects. “Toxins in plastic affect the

animals in the ocean, which is not good for humans who ingest these contaminated fish and

mammals” (Andrews, 2012). The wildlife who ingest or are entangled in plastic, are also

exposed to plastics chemicals. These plastic chemicals result in the transfer of entering into other

wildlife and ultimately to humans.

Plastics add convenience and safety to our everyday lives, however it minimally finds a

way inside our bodies. According to (Adverse, 2001), “Scientists have found that water bottles

are linked to very low doses of bisphenol A. A consumers health is not being exposed to

harmful toxins from these plastics because manufacturers have been reducing the chemical

substances being made in plastic materials. Plastics labeled as “BPA-free, are a safer byproduct

than most regular plastic. Products that are BPA-free have reduced concerns from many health

exposures to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, and diabetes.

Due to BPAs break down, it naturally doesn’t accumulate into humans or other organisms within

the environment.

Recent studies suggest that toxic compounds found in plastic cause health and

environmental problems. The toxins found in plastic materials are increasingly seen in the

ingredients, byproducts of the manufacturing, and chemicals absorbed from the environment.

Bottled water companies increasingly use BPA-free plastic, but there are other chemicals that

can seep out if bottles are exposed to heat or sit around for a long time. The heat being applied to
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a plastic product causes its additional its components to disrupt the ability to affect estrogen and

testosterone levels in humans. Newly produced safer plastic may be BPA-free, but in its place,

companies are using BPS, a close mimic of BPA that may be equally as toxic. This replacement

of BPA is potentially just has harmful and dangerous as the original plastic. The substance is just

as well a disruption of the body's hormone system, and the brain. Naturally speaking, the release

of BPA continually affects the environments soil ground and water. “Plastics also found in

landfills and the ocean can leach chemicals into groundwater and contaminate water sources for

humans and animals” (Why, 2018). Properties of plastic cause an outflow of plastic debris that is

laced with chemicals to be ingested into our food chain.

Plastics and their additives aren’t just around us, they are inside every one of us. Plastics

that are found in fish and wildlife are intoxicated with its chemicals, and those toxins from the

plastics enter into the food chain, threatening human health. They are present in the food we eat,

the water we drink, and many other sources. “BPA, used to make billions of plastic beverage

containers, dinnerware, protective linings of food cans and toys, either decreases or increase

endocrine activity in humans and causes adverse health effects” (Earth, 2018). According to

(Thompson, 2009), “Phthalates used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break, has

outcomes including weight gain, decreased levels of sex hormones, and other consequences for

the human reproductive systems both for females and males”. The consequences of these toxic

chemical and additive in plastics are an endless problem to everyone's health. The direct links to

the numerous health disturbances are due to the accessible plastic material we can easily replace

if someone is willing to take notice and address the problem.

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References

Vandenberg, L. Hauser, R. et al. (2007). Bisphenol A: A powerful endocrine disruptor

Reprod Toxicol.​ Vol. 24, Issue 2. p. 139-77.

Andrews, Gianna. (2012) Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health. ​Geology and Health.

Retrieved from

https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html

Thompson, R. Moore, C. (2009). Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus

and future trends​. The Royal Society. ​Vol. 364, Issue. 1526.

(2001). Adverse Health Effects on Plastic. ​Ecology Center.​ Retrieved from

https://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects/

(2018). The Plastic Threat to Human Health. ​Earth Day Network​. Retrieved from

https://www.earthday.org/2018/03/14/fact-sheet-the-plastic-threat-to-human-health/

(2018). Why is Plastic Harmful. ​Plastic Pollution Coalition. ​Retrieved from

https://plasticpollutioncoalition.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/222813127-Why-is-plastic

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