Toxic Plastics --- Fact or Myth?

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Toxic Plastics --- Fact or Myth?
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FACT OR MYTH?

• When you eat or drink things stored in plastic,
  is plastic incorporated into you?
• MYTH
• Plastic does not seem to affect human health
  HOWEVER, it can dangerously effect other animal
  life and alter the environmental (air, water, and
  soil) causing hazardous pollution when it is
  dumped into the environment.

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Can Plastics Kill?

• Birds and turtles are killed every year from
  plastic bag litter in the aquatic environment as
  they often mistake plastic bags for food.
• Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested
  or passed by an animal so it stays in the gut.
• Plastic in an animals gut can prevent food
  digestion and can lead to a very slow and painful
  death.

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Plastics Friend or Foe?
Plastic is ubiquitous in our lives because it is
convenient and Relatively inexpensive. It is
convenience comes from being lightweight and its
ability to absorb impact shock without breaking,
which on its own merit, is hard to argue with.
Plastics are so versatile in use that their
impacts the environment are extremely wide
ranging, posing serious challenge for disposal
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When Can It Become a Problem?
Careless disposal of plastic bags chokes drains,
blocks the porosity of the soil, and causes
problems for groundwaterrecharge.. Due to its
non-biodegradable nature, littering of plastics
causes irreversible damage to the environment.
Municipalities routinely receive reports of death
of cows and other animals from ingesting plastic
bags.
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ALTERNATIVES
Plastic bags take between 15 to 1000 years to
degrade. The chemical pollutants released from
them are a Serious Threat to be
Tackled.Designing eco-friendly, biodegradable
plastics is the need of the hour. Though
partially biodegradable plastics have been
developed and used, completely biodegradable
plastics based onrenewable starch rather than
petrochemicals have only recently been developed
and are in the early stages of commercialization.
Paper , Cloth, Jute, Cane, etc., are the most
preferable but still controversial
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• To save your environment and thereby your self
  ---Say NO to plastic check-out bags whilst
  shopping and buy reusable bags or bring your
  own for your shopping instead
• Use of Glass / Ceramic instead of plastic in
  Microwave. Replace plastic travel mugs with
  stainless steel for hot beverages. When you
  cant avoid plastic, check container bottoms for
  recycling codes (in triangle with chasing
  arrows). Choose those easily recycled.

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OUR RESPONSIBILITY

• It's impossible to eliminate most plastic from
  daily life, but it's prudent for our health and
  that of our environment to curb the use of some.
  Overall reduction in plastic usage, proper
  management for disposal and public awareness
  would bring a great difference in present
  situation.
• Separate, Store. and hand over for proper
  recycling or disposal.
• Do not let plastic litter the environment.

SAVE EARTH
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