Everyday you do things to keep yourself, your family and your environment safe. You eat right, exercise, recycle and do so much more. But sometimes, it is the simple things you forget you do that have the most impact on your health and environment. Recently, there has been news about the harmful effects of plastic. Plastics are everywhere and they are used on a daily basis. Whether it is your lunch box, drinking bottle, storage containers or carry bags, they are mostly made of plastic. Plastics are being used in a number of ways and they are available in many varieties. But the problem is that some of them contain toxic substances that can influence their properties such as hardness, texture and color. These properties are changed by manufacturers to reduce cost of the item or to improve its performance, although it is clear that the substances or additives being present in plastics can cause harm.
Plastics are harmful for health as well as for the environment and there are many reasons why you should avoid them. In this article, we’ll take a look at why you should avoid plastics in your everyday life.
Toxic additives
Plastics are manufactured with the use of petroleum based products and chemicals which can easily leach into your food if stored in a plastic container. Foods most at risk are those which are heated in plastic containers. Even oily foods can be risky and therefore it is essential that these types of foods are stored in containers which are not made out of plastic. It is also essential that you do not heat your food in plastic containers.
Cause health issues
Bisphenol A which can be found in polycarbonate plastic such as those used in the manufacture of sippy cups and baby bottles has been linked to a number of health problems such as breast cancer, miscarriage, prostrate cancer, genetic damage and ovarian dysfunction. It is also believed that plastic can leach a type of neurotoxin which can affect red blood cells and cause liver and kidney damage.
Hazardous production
Poly vinyl chloride or PVC plastics make use of raw materials that can cause cancer. When PVC is made, large volumes of hazardous waste are produced which pollutes the environment we live in including the land, air and water. Dioxin and hexachlorobenzene are byproducts of PVC plastic which are extremely toxic.
Enters human food chain
Plastic bags disposed of carelessly can pose a danger to marine animals and birds as it can be mistaken for food. While many mammals die every year as a result of choking on plastic bags, plastics can make it back into the food chain if you eat seafood. Most people are usually worried about mercury when they consume seafood, but with the recent problems arising with plastics, contamination from plastic is another thing that they must worry about.
Prevents Weight Loss
Most of the plastic molecules, when enter human body mimics estrogen due to similar chemical structure. Besides the other negative health effects, this “artificial” estrogen also decreases the levels of testosterone in the body (in man and woman). Low level of testosterone, on the other hand, leads to muscle mass loss and body fat gain what makes the weight loss difficult even when dieting and exercising.
Harmful effects on the environment
Plastic is durable which means if they make their way into the landfills, they will sit there forever and leach toxic chemicals and substances into the land. They will take up lots of space in landfills since they are bulky.
