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Plastics - Boon or Bane?

In 1907, the first synthetic plastic was invented (National Historic Chemical Landmarks program of the American Chemical Society, 1993). This discovery was revolutionary because of its countless applications in different industries, from consumer goods to transportation. Nevertheless, producing them has led to a plethora of problems that have negatively affected our environment, our safety, and the animals we live with. For this reason, I lean towards the position that we should already find alternatives to plastics, and significantly reduce their production. However, I am still unsure if it would have been better if we just completely avoided using it in the past.

An important aspect of plastic, that makes them popular for manufacturing different products, is their capacity to be molded, extruded, or pressed into different shapes. Aside from being adaptable, they are also lightweight, durable, flexible, and are cost-effective. It should be noted that additives play a big role in enabling plastic’s properties to be easily altered (Hahladakis et al., 2018); hence, they are also a large component to plastic’s popularity in manufacturing (Pfaendner, 2006). According to Geyer et al. (2017), plastics are used for packaging (polyethylene), construction (pipes, doors, and windows), transportation (headlights, bumpers, and wing mirrors), consumer goods (toys, tablewares, and furnitures), polymer implants, and electronics (computers, phones, and television).

Even though plastic has many applications and advantages, it and its production have been detrimental to the environment. As mentioned earlier, plastics are durable materials; as a consequence, they are resistant to many degradation processes and are not readily biodegradable (Ahmed et al., 2018; United Nations Environment Programme, 2021). Because of their inability to readily degrade, plastics persist for a long period of time and can pollute areas such  as water bodies. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme (2021) states that plastic pollution appears in all of the Earth’s major water bodies, damaging their ecosystems. Furthermore, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization found that plastic is more present in soil than in the ocean (Carrington, 2021). This is concerning because it was also found that microplastics can reduce the viability of soil ecosystems (Browne, n.d.).

Aside from plastic pollution, plastic also indirectly exacerbates climate change. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (n.d.) reports that plastic contributed to 3.4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of the relationship between plastic and fossil fuels, it was found that plastic comes from chemicals sourced almost entirely from fossil fuels (Center for International Law and Environmental Law, 2017); thus, the production of plastic is heavily linked with using fossil fuels (or at least it was in 2017).

Additives, the important component of plastic that help it alter its properties, can potentially degrade into toxic molecules once plastic fragments into microplastics (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009). This can have adverse effects on humans since some additives can bioaccumulate in organisms and stay in the environment after degrading. Additives also make it more difficult to recycle plastics because it is not easy to remove them. Besides additives, plastics can release toxic chemicals like bisphenol A when exposed to harsh environmental conditions and decomposition occurs (American Chemical Society, 2009). Moreover, burning plastic is quite a common approach when dealing with solid wastes, even though it leads to the breakdown of many toxic components, like dioxins and furans (Halden, 2010).

The damage that plastics and plastic production can cause and have caused is not only limited to the environment, but also the living organisms inhabiting them. For instance, a new disease was discovered in 2023 called plasticosis. After investigating seabirds that had scarred digestive tracts, they discovered a plastic-induced fibrosis (Horton, 2023). It was also found that the disease can disfigure tissues to the point that it impedes the birds’ digestion and growth (The Natural History Museum, 2023). One of the chemicals used for producing polycarbonate plastics, BPA, is an endocrine disruptor that people may be exposed to, through food (BPA can potentially leach into food) (Hafezi & Abdel-Rahman, 2019). Furthermore, BPA could also lead to heart disease because exposure to it can lead to insulin resistance (Alonso-Magdalena et al., 2006).

While the discovery of plastic provided economic and technological advantages, there are valid reasons to consider a significant reduction of its production. It is undeniable that they are cheap and versatile; however, using them may cost the health of our planet and its inhabitants. Accordingly, I suggest we find or improve alternative materials for plastics. Currently, the alternatives are biodegradable plastic and bioplastic. Although they are not perfect substitutes, we should strive to find ways to make them more affordable, or find other better alternatives. Plastics may be very useful and convenient, but using them is unfortunately unsustainable.

References

  1. Ahmed, T., Shahid, M., Azeem, F., Rasul, I., Shah, A. A., Noman, M., Hameed, A., Manzoor, N., Manzoor, I., & Muhammad, S. (2018). Biodegradation of plastics: Current scenario and future prospects for environmental safety. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(8), 7287–7298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1234-9
  2. Alonso-Magdalena, P., Morimoto, S., Ripoll, C., Fuentes, E., & Nadal, A. (2006). The Estrogenic Effect of Bisphenol A Disrupts Pancreatic β-Cell Function In Vivo and Induces Insulin Resistance. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(1), 106–112. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8451
  3. American Chemical Society. (2009, August 20). Plastics In Oceans Decompose, Release Hazardous Chemicals, Surprising New Study Says. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090819234651.htm
  4. Browne, G. (n.d.). Why food’s plastic problem is bigger than we realise. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/why-foods-plastic-problem-is-bigger-than-we-realise.html
  5. Carrington, D. (2021, December 7). ‘Disastrous’ plastic use in farming threatens food safety – UN. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/07/disastrous-plastic-use-in-farming-threatens-food-safety-un
  6. Center for International Law and Environmental Law. (2017). Fossils, Plastics, and Petrochemical Feedstocks. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fueling-Plastics-Fossils-Plastics-Petrochemical-Feedstocks.pdf
  7. Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
  8. Hafezi, S. A., & Abdel-Rahman, W. M. (2019). The Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) Exerts a Wide Range of Effects in Carcinogenesis and Response to Therapy. Current Molecular Pharmacology, 12(3), 230–238. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874467212666190306164507
  9. Hahladakis, J. N., Velis, C. A., Weber, R., Iacovidou, E., & Purnell, P. (2018). An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their use, disposal and recycling. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 344, 179–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.014
  10. Halden, R. U. (2010). Plastics and Health Risks. Annual Review of Public Health, 31(1), 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103714
  11. Horton, H. (2023, March 3). New disease caused by plastics discovered in seabirds. https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/03/plasticosis-new-disease-caused-by-plastics-discovered-in-seabirds
  12. National Historic Chemical Landmarks program of the American Chemical Society. (1993). The Bakelizer. https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakelite.html
  13. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). Plastic leakage and greenhouse gas emissions are increasing. https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/increased-plastic-leakage-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions.htm
  14. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2009). Emmision Scenario Document on Plastics Additives (3; OECD Series on Emission Scenario Documents). https://one.oecd.org/document/env/jm/mono(2004)8/rev1/en/pdf
  15. Pfaendner, R. (2006). How will additives shape the future of plastics? Polymer Degradation and Stability, 91(9), 2249–2256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2005.10.017
  16. The Natural History Museum. (2023, March 3). New disease caused solely by plastics discovered in seabirds. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/press-office/press-releases/new-disease-caused-solely-by-plastics-discovered-in-seabirds-.html
  17. United Nations Environment Programme. (2021). Drowning in Plastics – Marine Litter and Plastic Waste Vital Graphics. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/drowning-plastics-marine-litter-and-plastic-waste-vital-graphics

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