What makes plastic a dangerous pollutant?

Plastic production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, devalues marine ecosystems, and chokes the wildlife that makes our oceans so diverse. The good news is that people across the world are taking action to combat plastic pollution in their own ways, and you can too!

1. What makes plastic pollution dangerous?
2. How is plastic dangerous to the environment?
3. What are the 3 worst effects of plastic pollution?
4. How is plastic harmful to animals?
5. What are the harmful effects of single use plastic?
6. What are the effects of plastic pollution on humans?
7. How does plastic pollution affect humans?
8. What are the effects of consuming plastic?
9. What is plastic bag pollution?
10. Why is plastic bad for landfills?
11. What harmful chemicals are in plastic?
12. Who does plastic pollution affect?

What makes plastic pollution dangerous?

The most visible impacts of plastic debris are the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fish and turtles mistake plastic waste for prey; most then die of starvation as their stomachs become filled with plastic.

How is plastic dangerous to the environment?

Plastic pollution causes harm to humans, animals and plants through toxic pollutants. It can take hundreds or even thousands of years for plastic to break down so the environmental damage is long-lasting. It affects all organisms in the food chain from tiny species like plankton through to whales.

What are the 3 worst effects of plastic pollution?

These include: Physical impact on marine life: entanglement, ingestion, starvation. Chemical impact: the buildup of persistent organic pollutants like PCBs and DDT. Transport of invasive species and pollutants from polluted rivers to remote areas in the ocean.

How is plastic harmful to animals?

Plastic contains toxic chemicals, which can increase the chance of disease and affect reproduction. After ingesting microplastics, seals, and other animals can suffer for months or even years before they die. ... Nets and other man-made equipment can entangle and kill whales, dolphins, turtles, seals and other sea animals.

What are the harmful effects of single use plastic?

The plastic can pierce organs or block the digestive tract, causing death. Animals with stomachs full of plastic have no urge to eat, and they die of starvation. Some animals mistake plastic bags for food, which is often the case with sea animals.

What are the effects of plastic pollution on humans?

Microplastics entering the human body via direct exposures through ingestion or inhalation can lead to an array of health impacts, including inflammation, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and necrosis, which are linked to an array of negative health outcomes including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, ...

How does plastic pollution affect humans?

Endocrine disruptors like bisphenol A (BPA) will increase our risk of certain cancers, can cause hormonal issues, and even increase risk of infertility and birth defects. Ingesting plastic can also negatively impact the immune system over time.

What are the effects of consuming plastic?

Studies have found that certain chemicals in plastic can leach out of the plastic and into the food and beverages we eat. Some of these chemicals have been linked to health problems such as metabolic disorders (including obesity) and reduced fertility.

What is plastic bag pollution?

The Problem With Plastic Bags. Plastic bags start out as fossil fuels and end up as deadly waste in landfills and the ocean. ... This means more plastic in our oceans, more greenhouse gas emissions and more toxic air pollution, which exacerbates the climate crisis that often disproportionately affects communities of color.

Why is plastic bad for landfills?

Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. ... Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater. Around 4 percent of world oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process.

What harmful chemicals are in plastic?

Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is widely known as the most toxic plastic for health and the environment. In its production, it releases dioxins, phthalates, vinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, lead, cadmium and other toxic chemicals.

Who does plastic pollution affect?

Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it.