Plastic is infinitely useful and makes life unbelievably simpler for everyone. Plastic however can have harmful effects on not only the environment but also on human health. Whether plastics advantages out way it potential health causes is the subject of debate. Plastic is used in everything from cell phones to water bottles. The fact that such a versatile and exhausted product can cause health problems should be taken into consideration. Plastic also has a harmful affect on the environment. This includes the ocean and marine life. despite its uses Plastic is harmful to the environment and human health and alternatives can be used. There is no doubt that plastic is incredibly useful. However as author Jessica Knoblauch says “the
These effects are found Amaral’s article: Plastics devastating effect on marine mammals was first observed in the late 1970s, scientists from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory concluded that plastic when entanglement was killing up to 40,000 seals a year. Annually,this amounted to a four to six percent drop in seal population beginning in 1976. In 30 years, a 50%decline in Northern Fur Seals has been reported.
This is proof of plastics danger to human health as well as the environment and wildlife safety. If plastic is such a danger then why is it still produced in such large, and ever growing quantities. Well the truth is that plastic is a very large business. More than sixty million tons are produced in Europe alone and that is only about twenty-five percent of world production(7). Plastic is a billion dollar business after all. Plastic makes the world a cleaner place and provides convenience. However a good question would be is the benefits of plastic absolutely worth the potential health risk. If plastic is so bad what can be done to help reduce the use of plastic. Well actually there are alternatives to traditional plastic. Biodegradable plastics are a great option and are sometimes referred to as the plastics of the future. With the combination of waste management using biodegradable plastic can work effectively. However the use of