Do You Often Drink Water in Plastic Bottles? This Risk Has to be Mentioned

When you go out thirsty, will you buy plastic bottled water or drinks to quench your thirst? I believe most people's answer is: yes. But do you know that if you regularly use plastic bottles to drink water, you may consume up to 90,000 "micro plastic particles" per year.

Recently, a new research report published in the international authoritative journal Environmental Science and Technology stated that “micro plastic particles” are widely found in our food, water and even the air. The annual “micro plastic particles” consumed by Americans are as high as 74,000 to 121,000.

At present, the harm of these invisible "micro plastic particles" to the human body is still unknown. But the researchers say that some of the "micro-plastic particles" are small enough to enter the human body and trigger an immune response.

Disposable plastics are everywhere, and some degradation takes more than 400 years

Most of the “micro plastic particles” come from plastic products. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, plastic waste pollution is one of the world's recognized major environmental problems, generating approximately 300 million tons of plastic waste per year. On the 10th of this month, the Canadian government announced that it will ban the use of a variety of disposable plastic products including disposable tableware, straws, etc. from 2021.

Most plastics are made from hydrocarbons in natural gas, oil and coal and are a high molecular polymer. Most of the plastics commonly found on the market are hydrocarbon plastics. Plastics are widely used because they are mostly light and strong, easy to process, and inexpensive.

In 1950, the annual global plastic production was about 2 million tons, and in 2018 it increased to about 400 million tons. Most of these are "disposable plastics", including plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic tableware, plastic bags, and even cigarette filters.

Millions of tons of plastic waste are dumped into the sea or placed in landfills every year. It takes more than 400 years for a plastic bottle to degrade, and less than 1/5 of the world's plastic products are recycled.

According to data released by the United Nations Environment Programme, if humans continue to use disposable plastic products in an uncontrolled manner, by 2050, global plastic waste may reach 12 billion tons.

Plastic waste is an environmental problem that needs to be solved globally. At present, more than 60 countries and organizations have begun to restrict and ban the use of disposable plastic products. Even so, it is estimated that 1 to 5 trillion plastic bags will be produced globally each year, with an average of 600 million production per hour. If you tie the plastic bags produced each year, you can circle the earth 7 times.

Millions of tons of plastic waste goes into the sea every year, and marine life suffers from it

As mentioned earlier, millions of tons of plastic waste are dumped into the sea every year and cannot be degraded for a long time. This has caused the animals in the ocean to suffer. At present, there are five kinds of marine organisms that are most affected by plastic waste pollution.

The first is the turtle. In 2018, scientists tested more than 100 sea turtles and found that each turtle had plastic contaminants.

The second is fish. Scientists say more than 50 species of fish have eaten plastic waste.

The third is seal. Scientists often see seals in plastic bags and other garbage.

The fourth is seabird. Every year, plastic pollution causes about 1 million seabirds to die.

The last one is whale. Cases of whales accidentally eating plastic waste are abound, and more than 40 kilograms of plastic waste have been found in the stomach of a whale.

In fact, plastic waste pollution affects 800 species of marine life, five of which are typical.

Three-quarters of marine debris is plastic waste. Affected by plastic waste pollution, a large number of marine life die every year. If mankind does not take it as a warning, the consequences of the future will be unimaginable.

Plastic Bottled Water, Micro Plastic Particles, Plastic Products, Marine Pollution

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