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Plastic Pollution - Coggle Diagram
Plastic Pollution
Causes
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E.g. plastic food wrappings, razors, plastic bags, plastic bottles etc
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Effects
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Leads to plastic pollution and chemical pollution (toxic gasses → inhibits physical development, cancer, diseases)
During the breaking down of plastic particles, they gain new physical and chemical properties that increase the risk of having toxic effects on organisms
The larger the number of potentially affected species, the higher chance of toxic effects will occur
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Plastic Polluters
Polystyrene
E.g. coffee cup lids, plastic straws, plastic cutlery, plastic cups etc
Microbead
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene (PE), Nylon (PA) Polypropylene (PP), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
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Cigarette butts
Made with non-biodegradable cellulose acetate → produce toxic chemicals (acetic acid, chromium, hexamine, arsenic etc) → remains ≥ 10 years → toxic to wildlife that ingest them (marine life)
Impacts
Total no. of marine species deaths due to plastic pollution annually:
Approx. 100 million marine mammals annually
Percentage of marine species affected by plastic pollution:
According to WWF: 88% of marine species were affected by plastic pollution
Types of marine species affected by plastic pollution and how? Seabirds, whales, fish, sea turtles, seals etc Starvation (stomachs filled with plastic) Lacerations, infections, internal injuries Reduced marine species ability to swim
Total no. of entangled seals recorded annually on SE Farallon Island in California, 1976-1998
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Solutions
Reduce
Reduce daily usage of single-use plastics
E.g. drinking straws, single-use plastic cutlery
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Definnition
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Plastic pollution leads to environmental problems of both wildlife and the human population in the world.