Dr Ramesh Thusoo
In an significant decision Gov. of Jammu and Kashmir has banned the use of plastic material in offices and in official functions and as per the circular there is an urgent need for switching over to non-plastic and eco-friendly materials as improper and unscientific disposal of waste material has serious consequences. In an effort to keep people abreast of these consequences a detailed study is needed. Plastic pollution is a huge problem throughout the globe as it takes thousand years for plastic to breakdown and thus high levels of plastic pollution is found even in areas not inhabited by humans and includes the areas where there is only ice including Antarctica. Ultra violet light and salt in sea water cause microscopic particles of plastic to emit toxic chemicals and when these chemicals are ingested by many types of marine species cause variety of symptoms related to endocrine disruption. These chemicals tend to bioaccumlate in organisms as they move up the food chain through fish which most of population of globe regularly consume. These sorts of problems have led Charles Moore, an oceanographer and racing boat captain who played a significant role in discovering and publicizing the great Pacific Garbage Patch, to argue that plastic pollution has become a more urgent problem for ocean life than climate change. “The sad thing is we thought Antarctic waters were clean,” he told the Australian Associated Press after the Tara’s findings were announced. “We no longer have an ocean anywhere that is free of pollution.”
Our food, is always touching plastic and it plays a part in every phase of food production and preparation. Food gets processed on plastic equipment, and packaged and shipped in plastic-lined boxes and cans. At home, we store and reheat the leftovers in plastic containers. Plastics are widely considered safe by regulatory agencies, but not because they have been tested and proven to be safe. In most cases, this just means they have not been tested at all or that industry sponsored tests have shown them to be safe in small levels. Plastics are so versatile in use that their impacts on the environment are extremely wide ranging. Careless disposal of plastic bags chokes drains, blocks the porosity of the soil and causes problems for groundwater recharge. Plastic disturbs the soil microbe activity, and once ingested, can kill animals. Plastic bags can also contaminate foodstuffs due to leaching of toxic dyes and transfer of pathogens. In fact, a major portion of the plastic bags i.e. approximately 60-80% of the plastic waste generated in India is collected and segregated to be recycled. The rest remains strewn on the ground, littered around in open drains, or in unmanaged garbage dumps. Though only a small percentage lies strewn it is this portion that is of concern as it causes extensive damage to the environment. Manufacturers often add different chemicals to plastics to give them the exact characteristics they’re looking for, like flexibility, strength, and reduced production cost. These components can include phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) – all of which alter hormone expression in nonhuman animals and humans. These chemicals are known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), and each affects different elements of hormone disruption (e.g. inducing oestrogen like activity, thyroid hormone homeostasis disruption, anti-androgens, and so on). Also, some chemicals are made of monomers, which have known mutation-inducing and cancer-causing qualities.
These versatile chemical structures come in enormous varieties and today over 20 major forms of plastics exist. And yet other compounds contain toxic metals. These chemicals can enter the human body in any number of ways and at dramatically different levels. Many of them seep into the environment during the production process or as waste. They enter our waterways and other areas where they eventually make contact with humans. Frustratingly, these sorts of interactions are (largely) beyond our control, so for the purposes of this discussion we’re going to focus solely on the plastics that are used to store and deliver food, drink, medicines, and anything else that can be directly and consciously ingested (including plastic toys, because babies and infants like to suck on them).Thankfully, there is a classification system, called the Resin Identification Code, that describes the type of plastic resin used to make a container or bottle. Most containers and packages should have a number printed on it, a series ranging from one to seven. The plastic industry in the developed world has realized the need of environmentally acceptable modes for recycling plastics wastes and has set out targets and missions. Prominent among such missions are the Plastic Waste Management Institute in Japan, the European Centre for Plastics in Environment, the Plastic Waste Management Task Force in Malaysia. Manufacturers, civic authorities, environmentalists and the public have begun to acknowledge the need for plastics to conform to certain guidelines/standards and code of conduct for its use. Designing eco-friendly, biodegradable plastics is the need of the hour.
Though partially biodegradable plastics have been developed and used, completely biodegradable plastics based on renewable starch rather than petrochemicals have only recently been developed and are in the early stages of commercialization. Plastic with its exclusive qualities of being light yet strong and economical, has invaded every aspect of our day-to-day life. It has many advantages: it is durable, light, easy to mould, and can be adapted to different user requirements. Once hailed as a ‘wonder material’, plastic is now a serious worldwide environmental and health concern, essentially due to its non-biodegradable nature. In India, the plastic industry is growing phenomenally. Plastics have use in all sectors of the economy – infrastructure, construction, agriculture, consumer goods, telecommunications, and packaging. But the good news is that along with a growth in the use, a country-wide network for collection of plastic waste through rag pickers, waste collectors and waste dealers and recycling enterprises has sprung all over the country over the last decade or so. More than 50% of the plastic waste generated in the country is recycled and used in the manufacture of various plastic products. Conventional plastics have been associated with reproductive problems in both wildlife and humans. Researchers like Halden have shown, however, that the benefits of global plastics use can come at a steep price in terms of both human and environmental health.
Biodegradable plastics may break down in the environment into smaller polymer constituents, which may still pose a risk to the environment. Incineration liberates greenhouse gases associated with climate change. Landfilling of plastics, particularly in the enormous volumes now produced, may be an impractical use of land resources and a danger exists of plastics constituents entering the ground water. Finally, recycling of plastics requires careful sorting of plastic material, which is difficult. Recycled plastics tend to be of lower quality and may not be practical for health care and other applications. Better biodegradable plastics are now being developed using carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide compounds and applying metal complexes as catalysts. The technique provides a double benefit, binding unwanted greenhouse gases, while avoiding the competition with the human food supply.
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