Environmental Consultants | The Resource For Environmental Issues

The hazardous chemicals used to produce plastic have been associated with long term ecological degradation and human health hazard. Plastics are everywhere and are being used globally. For examples the cars, computers, clothes, toys, and packaging are just some of the uses. Data released by the United State Protection Agency, shows that somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed each year. This points to the fact that plastics play an imperative part in our everyday lives and seems that the use is inescapable.

However, confirmation is mounting that the chemical building blocks that make plastics so versatile are the same components that might harm people and the environment. Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater, and are more likely to kill several living organisms beneath the earth surface. Additionally, the chemical substances in their production, like benzene, vinylchloride, have been identified as contrubuting factors to some types of cancer. Besides, some compounds used in manufacturing plastic have been found to alte hormones or have other potential human health effects.

One of the solutions to curb this life threaten situation is legislation. This means every nation should enact a law that will oblige manufacturer companies producing plastic, to treat it as a reusable material rather than as a disposable commodity. They should make plastic more easily recyclable from the get-go by using fewer materials in the manufacturing process and increasing recycling facility