Sunday, 13 May 2012

PLASTIC ? BE AWARE ! BE ALERT !

    Hi I am Old Man  Mr. Plastic , longing to live, dying a slow death like a nuclear weapon,  which is like a suicide committed by my own self. I used Polyethlene (PE ) (Plastic) carry bags in my daily routine shopping and now at the end it is the cause  of my death.
    Polyethylene ( PE ) can be seen everywhere around us. Do you know of what is this plastic carry bags are  made up off ?...  It is of two types – high density polyethylene (HDPE)  and low density   polyethylene
( LDPE).Both LDPE and HDPE, where the latter is a denser, more rigid form of polyethylene than LDPE, are made of ethylene. Let me also tell you the   AFFECTS OF PLASTIC CARRY BAG ON OUR HEALTH: Lead and Cadmium  pigments, commonly used as additives, are very toxic and are known to leach out. Lead is a known Neurotoxin, which can cause depression of the central nervous system, unconsciousness, respiratory arrest, heart attack, seizures and even death , like which awaits me to grab after few hours. Cadmium is a nephrotoxin, which can damage the cells and tissues of the kidneys, causing nephritis ( inflammation of the kidneys). A nephrotoxin can also worsen or aggravate other conditions like diabetes, hypertension ( high blood pressure ) and cardiovascular diseases. It is for this reason that coloured plastic bags are considered to be a health hazard. PE is a highly flammable material on its own. To stop this, flame-retardants are added to it. These retardants include brominated or chlorinated chemicals, which release dioxins in to the environment when burned.
    Heavy metals such as lead powders are used as fillers which leach in to the soil and result in soil and ground water contamination.The burning of PE can generate many volatile compounds, including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both of which are suspected carcinogens. Formaldehyde causes respiratory distress. We are aware that plastic bags have been banned  specially 20 micron thickness which are commonly seen in the market  because they are non-biodegradable, are found everywhere and won’t ever go away. As a result, we have possibly learnt to accept that they are  a  necessary evil.
    Whatever you may know already, there is probably a little more to be learned about plastics: that’s what I realized now but of no use I am about to die, now at least you should be aware of how the material gnaws into your body to become a health hazard, and how it is an unsustainable and undesirable product of finite and conventional fossil fuels. As a consumer, as a stakeholder in the environment, as a parent and as a educated person who has  the right to clean environment. It is important to know these facts because plastics affect you in a thousand ways: its effect is not instant but very slow like a nuclear weapon, it will create health problems for our new generation.
     What plastic means for the unenlightened: use it, dump it, forget it. Specially, forget it. Very little is known about the  various plastics in our lives and there is no one to answer our questions, hence the need for this type of campaign, that’s what  I realized  when I am on my death bed with the help of some concerned citizens.
    Plastics are used in many spheres of life. Plastics, when used in medical applications, are useful, as in packaging but this practice is however leading to an environmental crisis in both the cases with the manufacturers of plastics  and we as consumers. Does a convenient life include choking our drains, rivers, fields and sea. An advertisement from the industry reminds us:  ‘ Life is incomplete without plastics.’ But think of it this way: how convenient is it for you to be poisoned into endocrine disruption, cancer and respiratory distress ?
    Contrary to reassurances from the plastics industry, plastics do not get recycled every time. In fact, they cannot be recycled more than three to four times. They are recycled in poor conditions by the informal sector, comprising poor persons who internalize the cost of recycling through their poor health. Recycling itself can be a toxic process.
    Often, when they cannot be recycled, they end up in the ground, from where they leach toxins that contaminate the ground water. If they are burned, they create other environmental and health hazards. They also take a journey down the drains, sewage lines, and streams and along the innards of cows.
    Let me remind you about littering plastic before I die. Littering reminds us that we’ve created waste. And waste ought to remind us that we need to reduce the amounts we throw away; which means, we need to consume more carefully. However, anyone who claims that the problem with plastics lies in the users who litter, has overlooked the most important aspect of plastics: what would happen even if we were to put the plastics into the bin? It will not reduce the consumption of the raw material. It will not reduce their toxicity. Cows will still search out the plastic from inside the bin and swallow it. After being recycled many times, plastics in the best  of  bins will still reach the landfills.
    Our own attitude as consumers also ensure that there is more and more plastic in our lives. For example, it is very rare that we refuse a plastic bag or think about other options. Many people even use disposable cutlery and tableware made up of  plastics and thermocol , like plates and glasses  at home during parties and even many of the   Government Departments  during  workshops and  training  programmes . Typically, change can come about only through public awareness and pressure. So, this  is one important action that any consumer can take, as how I do at the dying stage.
    My dear friends  let me say few more words before I die, do not ignore it, take it as a suggestion and warning for you to be alert and save your self and life of your future generation. The option for the common person is to restrict the use of plastic, to buy products that are packaged in better materials like glass jars, etc, do not accept plastic carry bag from the shop keeper nor demand for. Always carry a cloth bag with your self while going to market, to avoid using or serving in disposable like thermocol glasses and plastic. Instead, we should use some kinds of alternative  such as steel glasses, plates, etc. In the long run, please demand less plastic and more information.
    Now  at least some of you know that plastics are toxic in a number of ways. How about sharing the information with others ? Depending on your work, interest and time, you could share the information with a range of persons so that they can use this to make sensible decisions in their lives. Many of you will find it difficult to say no to plastics at once, for that one  needs thinking, courage and practice which will make you perfect. So practice  using cloth bags and try to avoid using plastics, otherwise  time will prove and your self will reach to my stage, a  suffering from Cancer--A death bed due to using plastic.I pray to Almighty to Protect you from this Danger and wish you Plastic Free Life- Long Live Life.

Facing the Dirty Truth About Recyclable Plastics

The recyclable plastic bags you get at the green grocer are not biodegradable. But product life-cycle assessments, which are about to become more prominent in the marketplace, fail to consider whether those bags will break down in landfills or just end up as litter.

by daniel goleman

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