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They are everywhere! These plastics have now become a necessity where nobody seems to be surviving

without it. It has become like an addiction where people want to use this Due to their relatively low cost,

ease of manufacture, versatility (lightweight, good insulators of heat or electricity, non-rusting) andimperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper

clips to spaceships.

Although it has so many advantages, what we should not forget is that it has also lot of negative

effects to the environment on which we depend for survival. It has three main effects; Economic,

Environmental and Political.

1. Economic effect:It shows some sort of positive effect in economy. In 1996, the plastic industry employed morethan 1,337,700 jobs in the US alone. Manufacturers are dependent on plastic to save themmoney on packaging, as they use one-third of the US production. In a recently conducted test,

researchers found out that by using plastic over glass and metal, the United States economycould save over $336 trillion.

2. Environmental effect:Although plastic has few positive influences in everyday lives, there have been instances

when plastics have posed serious environmental damages which include:

Pollution: Plastic is apparently one of the most harmful pollutants due to its non-biodegradable nature. Some plastic bags, it is proved, can last in the environment for upto a thousand year. In Nepal, it is hardly possible to see a place in the urban areas whereplastics are not thrown away. One just needs to stand up at a place and look around to see

plastic bags, bottles, covers of different products thrown here and there. Threat to wildlife:It has been observed that the animals eating the bags sometimes die. Plasticgoes to into the ocean which is already a plastic infested body of water. Fish and other marine

species in the water ways, misunderstand plastic garbage as food items swallow them anddie. Hundreds of camels die each year from ingesting plastic bags left behind in thedesert. One in every two camels dies from plastic. Rocks of calcified plastic weighing upto 60 kilograms are found in camel stomachs every day.

Toxicity and health hazards:Many chemical additives that give plastic products desirableperformance properties also have negative environmental and human health effects. These effectsinclude: Direct toxicity, as in the cases of lead, cadmium, and mercury, Carcinogens, as in thecase of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and Endocrine disruption, which can lead to cancers, birthdefects, immune system suppression and developmental problems in children. People are exposed

to these chemicals not only during manufacturing, but also by using plastic packages, becausesome chemicals migrate from the plastic packaging to the foods they contain. Examples ofplastics contaminating food have been reported with most plastic types, including Styrene frompolystyrene, plasticizers from PVC, antioxidants from polyethylene, and Acetaldehyde from PET.

3. Political effect:Due to the high cost of the disposal of the plastic rubbish, many countriesresort to indiscriminate dumping of plastics. In many cases, some developed countries actually pay the

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developing countries to dump the rubbish in their country so that the developed countries backyard

would be clean of the unwanted plastic products. Sometimes, rumors spread about dumping of toxic

waste and this often cause tensions between the related nations. Besides dumping of plastics, some

countries actually incinerate the plastic waste and all the poisonous gases produced actually spreads

across nations; causing serious effects such as acid rain, health and environmental effects across the

borders.

So, as it has lot of effects on different sectors, we need to forward our pace to prevent its negative

effect which is occurring basically on environment. We should be responsible and can follow

following some ways like buying food in glass or metal containers. Avoid polycarbonate drinking

bottles with BisphenolA. Avoid heating food in plastic containers, or storing fatty foods in plastic

containers or plastic wrap. Do not give young children plastic toys. Use natural fiber clothing,

bedding and furniture. Avoid all PVC and Styrene products for the clean environment.

Surendra Bam (surendra_bam777@yahoo.com)

mailto:surendra_bam777@yahoo.commailto:surendra_bam777@yahoo.commailto:surendra_bam777@yahoo.commailto:surendra_bam777@yahoo.com