Plastic
Hurts animals
Harms Humans
Plastic doesn't break down
Plastic is everywhere
"Plastic is known to release a variety of chemicals during degradation, which has a negative impact on biota." https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200574#:~:text=Plastic%20is%20known%20to%20release,exposed%20to%20ambient%20solar%20radiation.
"Normally, plastic items take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills." http://storage.neic.org/event/docs/1129/how_long_does_it_take_garbage_to_decompose.pdf
91% of plastic isn't recycled. (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment)
Plastic comes "from urban and storm runoff, sewer overflows, beach visitors, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, construction and illegal dumping" (https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/marine-plastics).
"Toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all of us. Exposure to them is linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments. " https://plasticpollutioncoalition.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/222813127-Why-is-plastic-harmful-
"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..." https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-and-human-health-a-lifecycle-approach-to-plastic-pollution/#:~:text=Microplastics%20entering%20the%20human%20body,outcomes%20including%20cancer%2C%20cardiovascular%20diseases%2C
"Nets and other man-made equipment can entangle and kill whales, dolphins, turtles, seals and other sea animals." https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/news/how-plastic-pollution-affecting-seals-and-other-marine-life#:~:text=Plastic%20contains%20toxic%20chemicals%2C%20which,even%20years%20before%20they%20die.&text=Nets%20and%20other%20man%2Dmade,seals%20and%20other%20sea%20animals.
After eating microplastics, marine animals, such as seals can suffer for many months before they finally die. https://www.worldanimalprotection.us/news/how-plastic-pollution-affecting-seals-and-other-marine-life#:~:text=Plastic%20contains%20toxic%20chemicals%2C%20which,even%20years%20before%20they%20die.&text=Nets%20and%20other%20man%2Dmade,seals%20and%20other%20sea%20animals.
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This plastic then spreads from wind, rain or floods. (https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/how-does-plastic-get-into-the-ocean#:~:text=Wastewater%2C%20wind%2C%20rain%20and%20floods,network%20before%20reaching%20the%20sea.)
"Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons—most of it in disposable products that end up as trash." (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment)
Why was plastic being produced so much?
"Advertisements praised celluloid as the savior of the elephant and the tortoise. " https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
In 1907, Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic because he was searching for a substitute for natural electrical insulators, so he could quickly create insulators for the United States. https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt was trying to find a substitue for ivory, because of the growing demands of billiards, more wild elephants were being slaughtered, and New York offered a $10,000 for anyone who could make an alternative. https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
After World War 2, plastic was not viewed as positive. In the 1960s, plastic was first spotted in the oceans.This was also during a time when Americans were more aware of environmental issues.
The creation of new materials also helped free people from the social and economic constraints imposed by the scarcity of natural resources https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
"It was also durable, heat resistant, and, unlike celluloid, ideally suited for mechanical mass production." https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
"Marketed as “the material of a thousand uses,” Bakelite could be shaped or molded into almost anything, providing endless possibilities." https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, exposed the dangers of chemical pesticides. https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
In 1969 a major oil spill occurred off the California coast and the polluted Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire, raising concerns about pollution. https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics
These include methane and ethylene. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200574#pone-0200574-t001
Ethylene is a very flammable and reactive
chemical. It can cause can cause "headache, dizziness,
fatigue, lightheadedness, confusion and unconsciousness" and frostbite (with contact). https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0873.pdf
"Because it is able to trap heat in the atmosphere, methane contributes to climate change." https://www.socalgas.com/stay-safe/methane-emissions/methane-and-the-environment