Consequences in not using Green Products

Assignment by Selvaprakash.R 710714631044

Dr.N.G.P IT

Identifying the problemGreen products:The term “Green” or “sustainable” often refers to products, services, or practices that allow for economic development while conserving for future generations. I preserve to describe a green product as one of that has less of an environmental impact or is less detrimental to human health than the non-green products equivalent. While on the topic of defining a green product, you must realize that almost no product will ever be 100% green, since all product development will ever have some impact on the surrounding environment. It all comes down to decrease of impact and trading off between impacts.

Green products are…

To understand trade-offs we should realize that there are select attributes that describe green products and services; I list them below to help you further understand what a green product truly is

Energy efficient, durable and often have low maintenance requirements

Free of Ozone depleting chemicals, toxic compounds and don’t produce toxic by products.

Often made of recycled materials or content or from renewable and sustainable sources

Obtained from local manufactures or resources. Biodegradable or easily reduced either in part or as a whole.

Health and safety effects of non-green products

Health impacts from non-green products affect both product users and building occupants. Detailed health and safety side effects associated with a specific chemicals because of using non-green products can be found belowBlindness:Eye contact with certain chemicals can lead to blindness or reduced eye functioning Poisoning:Certain chemicals are toxic to humans. When they are absorbed by the body, they poison or contaminate human organs, leading to a range of health problems, including temporary illness, long term injury, or death.

Headaches:Headaches can result from a number of exposures to cleaning chemicals, including inhalation.Cancer:Substances that cause cancer, known as carcinogens, are found in solid, liquid and gaseous form, and several are ingredients in non-green products.Respiratory ailments:Chemicals in products and the vapors they emit can cause respiratory ailments such as allergies, asthma, reduced lung capacity, and injury to internal organs when absorbed by the bloodstreamKidney and liver damage:Several substances cause irreversible damage to the kidneys and liver as the body tries to detoxify itself after exposure(there are many problems like central nervous system disorders, skin irritations etc..)

Environmental impacts of non-green products

Not only do many tradition products affect human health and safety, but many also contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment. A number of environmental impacts including effects on fish, birds, other wildlife, and ecosystems- can result from these products.The following are some of the environmental impacts associated with non-green productsBioaccumulation:It refers to increase in concentration of toxic substances in living organisms. The toxins accumulate because contaminated air, water or food, are consumed faster than the toxins can be metabolized and excreted.

Toxicity:It describes the degree to which a substance or mixture of substances can harm humans are animals.Endocrine disruption:Can cause hormonal imbalance in wildlife which may result in a failure to reproduce effectively.Water pollution:It results from the contamination of water through direct sources (factories) indirect sources (pesticide runoff). Chemical factories and improper storage and disposal of cleaning products can contribute to water pollution. Ozone depletion:It refers to the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer, which shields the earth from harmful amounts of ultraviolet radiation. Ozone depletion is caused by the breakdown of certain chlorine- and/ or bromine containing compounds (chlorofluorocarbons , or

CFCS, and halons) When they reach the stratosphere and quickly destroy ozone molecules.

Air pollution:Some cleaning products contain volatile organic compounds(VOCs) that can escapeduring product use. VOCs have been linked to smog formation, which pollutes the airand causes a number of respiratory andother health problems.

Recent research in AmericaYou may have read what’s bad about plastic bags and decided to reduce the amount of disposables you consume, and that’s a great direction to be heading in. But there’s another problem in the plastic-trash minefield that needs tackling in the U.S., 1500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second.Impacts on using plastics:The Human Impact: Plastic bottles contain Bisphenol A(BPA), the chemical used to make

the plastic hard and clear. BPA is an endocrine disruptor which has been proven to be hazardous to human health.it has been strongly linked to the host of healthy problems including certain types of cancer, neurological difficulties, reducing fertility in women, and defects in new born babies.

A study conducted last year found that 96% of women in the U.S have BPA in their bodies.

The Animal impact: Plastic bottle tops are currently not recyclable, and as with plasticbags they often end up at the bottom of the ocean, and in the stomachs of a variety of animal spices that mistake them for food. One albatross that was recently found dead on a Hawaiian island had a stomach full of 119 bottle caps.

Marine life falls prey to this problem on a daily basis. A spermwhale was found dead on a North American beach recently with a plastic gallon bottle which had gummed up small intestine. The animal’s body was full of plastic material including other plastic bottles, bottle caps and plastic bags.

Kids and pets impact:If u have pets at home, especially dog or catwhich are naturally curious and would sniffand lick your carpet or floor, using plasticproducts will definitely harm the pets. Similarly he toys used by kids contains Minimum percentage of toxic contents such as ammonia that cause serious harm to your pets and kids in case they come in contact with these products.

The environmental impact:Plastic product are made from a petroleum product known as polyethylene terephthalate(PET), and they require huge amounts of fossil fuels to both make and transport them. In the 1070s the U.S. was the world’s largest exporter of oil, but now it is the largest importer. If u fill a plastic bottle with liquid so that it is 25% full, that’s roughly how much oil it took to make the bottle. For a single use disposable item.It’s hard to recycle plastic bottles than you think. Of the mass numbers of plastic bottles consumed throughout the world, most of the are not recycled Because only certain types of plastic bottles can be recycled by certain municipalities. They either end up lying stagnant in landfills, leaching dangerous chemicals in the ground, or they infiltrate our streets as litter. They are found on sidewalks, parks, yards, rivers etc…and even if they are chopped in to tiny pieces they still take more than a human lifetime to decompose.

What can we do about it?REDUCE Avoid the need for bottled drinks altogether. You can save resources by drinking from glass or water fountains whenever possible when you are out.Do the research, don’t fall for advertising that tells you the bottled water is purer or safer than tap. If you are concerned about your tap water you can obtain a water quickly report for your area and buy a water filter if necessary.REUSEInvest in a BPA-free reusable bottle. Carry a refillable, BPA-free bottle when you are on the go, and refill it when the options arises. This guide looks at some of the options on the market.

RECYCLEEfficiently. Work out which plastics your municipality recycles and sort them accordingly.But above all, REDUCE. Think of the Whales and albatrosses and buy fewer plastic products in general, particularly when you know that you are unable to recycle them. It will probably have a much larger and positive impact than you think.

Thank you