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2008-08-15 22:01:26
By Sanya Nayeem, Community Journalist
Last updated: May 25, 2008, 08:52
Dubai: It is present in the air we breathe, the food we eat and even the water we drink - plastic has the world in a strangle-hold and unless something is done, it may outlive all human life.
Non-biodegradable, omnipresent and fatal to animals, every piece of plastic ever made may still exist today.
According to Mustafa Khamis, assistant professor of biology and chemistry at the American University of Sharjah, not many people are aware of the serious implications: "Plastic is everywhere and affects us in ways we do not even realise."
Top of the list is cancer. Khamis said further research is necessary to ascertain plastic's impact on human health.
But a recent study published by the American Association for Cancer Research showed that chemicals in plastic stimulate the growth of cancer-causing cells.
Toxins from seemingly harmless plastic items enter the human body stealthily and end up in saliva and breast milk.
A regular glass of water, for instance, may be the source of plastic chemicals in the body.
Bisophenol A (BPA) is one such harmful chemical. It is used in the production of heavier plastic packaging, such as those used for food and milk storage, container linings and water supply pipes.
Added to this is the impact of used plastic after it has been dumped.
According to Khamis, bacteria cannot degrade plastic once it has returned to the environment. But through a process of photodegradation, ultraviolet rays from the sun break down plastic and create chemical by-products over a period of time, which can be extremely harmful when the toxins seep into groundwater.
Chemicals
"Plastic contains chemicals made from petroleum, and metallic chemicals such as antimony, which may be carcinogenic when exposed to groundwater," he said.
Much in the way tea seeps into water from a tea bag, antimony leaks through plastic materials to pollute water.
But it is not just food and water that are affected. Ever seen images of cute, gurgling toddlers biting their favourite plastic toys? There's something wrong with that picture.
Phthalates are notorious chemical additives that make plastic flexible and soft and are often found in child-care products such as soft baby books and rattles. Over-exposure to phthalates is known to cause genital abnormalities in men and women. In fact, it was considered so dangerous that the European Union recently banned them in the production of children's toys.
Researchers say at key stages of development, a seemingly minute dose of a hormone-altering chemical such as BPA or phthalates may be life-altering.
What this means is that everyone may have been exposed to chemicals from plastic in the womb already, long before birth.
In 2005, an extensive research paper published in the American government journal Environment Health Perspectives said both chemicals were gaining a reputation for being endocrine disrupters. Simply put, they completely upset the functioning of several important hormones in the body.
From stimulating the growth of mammary and prostate cancer cells to altering hormones and creating subtle abnormalities, chemicals from plastic even have the frightening potential to change DNA or genetic make-up.
Surrounded by plastic, be it in computers, perfumes or even in clothes, people are constantly exposed to hormone-altering chemicals, but do not realise the extent of the damage they can cause.
UAE-based environmental scientist Mohammad Abu Al Aish said: "Early exposure to plastic can have effects that are revealed much later in life, and because not enough research has been done to warn people about it, the subject is being taken very lightly."
The easiest way out seems to be to find out how plastic enters the body, and then to prevent it from doing so.
Unfortunately, it is not that simple.
Abu Al Aish explained: "Due to our carelessness, plastic is now affecting the base of the food chain, where food for all life organisms begin. There can be nothing more critical than this for human survival."
The aquatic food chain particularly is in hot water. Studies conducted in 2001 by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in California, showed that in parts of the northern Pacific Ocean, there were six times more plastic debris than zooplankton. The small bits of plastic that remain after photodegradation are called nurdles or mermaid tears.
"Fish eat plankton, but when there is more plastic than plankton in the water, they may confuse it for food and eat it instead," Abu Al Aish said.
More often than not, plastic has fatal consequences for marine creatures.
The United Nations Environment Programme found that every year, plastic is accountable for the death of more than a million seabirds and more than 100,000 aquatic mammals such as whales, dolphins and seals.
Extinction
It is no wonder that some of the world's animals are rapidly moving toward extinction.
Aaron Bartholomew, assistant professor of biology at the American University of Sharjah, considers plastic bags one of the greatest killers at sea. "Many endangered species of sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Once they swallow it, the bags block their digestive tract and they starve to death," he said.
With thousands and thousands of plastic bags, packaging and products being manufactured and thrown away every day, the idea that a floating plastic island exists in the northern Pacific Ocean is almost not surprising.
But what about the fact that this massive plastic wasteland is twice the size of the American state of Texas and is steadily destroying marine life as it is known?
Mankind continues to be surprised by the far reaches of its errors.
One thing is for sure: plastic is a killer.
Impact on life: High price to pay
Most common plastic items that are part of our lives: