Plastic Pollution and the Effects on Human Health Essay -- Ecology

Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is whitewash here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cigarettenot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate channel are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the peaceful Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the worlds universe has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the inherent effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food.Marine plastic is a visible sign of human impact on the ocean environment. Plastic debris is more than an aesthetic problem. It can potentially cause danger to marine organisms through ingestion and entanglement (Laist, 1997). Theres so much plastic out there that its starti ng to compete as a food source for many different organisms. Plastic finally breaks down into food size pieces and is mistaken for food by many organisms. They mistake the plastic particles for plankton. The public has a desire for certain types of fish which come out to have an accumulation of different toxins in their body. This happens when those larger fish species eat large amounts of smaller fish and other organisms that feed off the plankton-plastic mixture. Plastics are toxins can de-absorb out from the plastic and into the tissue and organs of the fish that are eating those smaller fish. The toxins move up the food chain becoming dangerously concentrated. Decades past the number of marine mammals that died each year due to ingestion and entanglement ap... ..., J., and M. Moran. 2009. Comparative day/night metatranscriptomic analysis of microbial communities in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. environsal Microbiology. 1-18.http//www.fao.org/focus/e/fisheries/consum. htmCorno, G., Karl, D., Church, M., Letelier, R., Lukas, R., Bidigare, R., and M. Abbott. 2007. Impact of climate forcing on ecosystem processes in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Journal of Geophysical Research. (112) 1-14. unify Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chemicals Programme www.chem.unep.ch United States Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs http//www.state.gov/e/oes/Ritter L Solomon KR, Forget J, Stemeroff M, OLeary C.. Persistent organic pollutants. United Nations Environment Programme. http//www.chem.unep.ch/pops/ritter/en/ritteren.pdf. Retrieved 2012-02-16.