PACER, JOHN CEDRIC September 29,2022

STEM 23 Ms.Bel

Instructions
Interact with the text below through annotation. Then, compose an outline out of it.
Lastly, summarize the text using the outline that you have composed.

The problem with plastics

(an excerpt)

by Sharon Oosthoek and Maria Temming

January 30, 2020

Our drinking water comes from lakes, rivers, and groundwater aquifers. Any of these
may be tainted with microplastics. Our bodies can poop out plastics we’ve ingested, but
no one knows how long it takes for them to move through the body, says Sam Athey.
She studies sources of microplastics at the University of Toronto in Canada. The longer
microplastics stay in our bodies, she says, the greater our exposure to them.

Researchers don’t yet know the risks, says Athey. But she finds reasons to be cautious.
One is that plastic is made from oil and includes many different petroleum-based
ingredients. Scientists don’t yet know how many of these might be toxic.

Ingredients in some plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride, can cause cancer. And
phthalates (pronunciation: THAAL-aytes) — used to soften some types of plastics —
can mimic the activity of hormones. These false hormones can cause unexpected
changes in how cells grow and develop. Such changes may lead to disease.

Plastic also can soak up pollution like a sponge. The pesticide DDT and PCBs (a type of
insulating fluid) are two types of toxic pollution found in plastics floating in the ocean.
Plastic bits also have been turning up in fish, birds, corals, and other aquatic animals.
That’s a problem because plastic does not provide the energy and nutrients these
creatures need to grow and thrive.

ANNOTATION: Based on the additional information, I think the water is safe to drink
because it may be contaminated with microplastics. Some researchers are studying
microplastics. Plastic is made from oil, and includes many different petroleum-based
ingredients. It is often recycled, but it can also be created from other materials, such as
natural gas.