Nowadays due to the careless throwing of plastics into water bodies, plastic pollution is one of the most threatening global problems.
Over 100000 marine mammals are estimated to be killed by plastic every year and 12700000 tonnes of plastic reaches the ocean every year.
How does plastic affect us?
Scientists have found microplastics in 114 marine species, and almost one-third of these end up on our plates. Some of the chemicals added to plastic to increase its performance are considered endocrine disruptors – chemicals that affect normal hormone function – while some retardants may interfere with brain development in children. Studying the impacts of microplastics on human health is very challenging. Today we know very little about what levels of contamination might negatively affect us. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stated – following recent research – that people are likely to consume only negligible amounts of microplastics from fish. Nonetheless, scientists remain concerned about the human health impacts of marine plastics. More research needs to be carried out before we are truly able to understand the implications of consuming contaminated fish. But it’s quite clear that this cannot possibly be a good addition to our diets. With every passing day, as we consume more contaminated seafood, plastic pollution affects human health, even if these effects have not manifested just yet.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) published shocking research in 2018 which exposed the presence of microplastics in 90% of bottled water that had been tested – only 17 were free of plastics out of 259. Today while there is not enough evidence on the impact of microplastics on human health, most scientists agree that it is an emerging area of concern and that if thousands of species worldwide are dying because of it, it can’t be that good for us either.
Where there is poor waste management like in my country Cameroon, people often have no choice but to burn their trash in the open air. This is a very common practice that allows chemicals from plastic to easily enter the body as we breathe normally. A report published in March 2018 shows that 5 billion people globally live without waste collection or controlled waste disposal. Roughly 9 million people die each year as a result. In Europe, the issue persists but is hidden inside huge buildings known as incinerators. Incinerators in Europe are supposed to operate with maximum security, converting the heat produced by burning trash, into energy. Beautiful right? Unfortunately, it has been proven that incinerators release dioxin – one of the most toxic chemicals known to man – in huge amounts into the air.
