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Are We All Drinking Plastic?
Plastic Is Everywhere Including In The Water We Drink!
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Introduction
For the majority of people born after the 1960s plastic has been with them all their life. In the 50s
and years before, Leather, metal, wood, stone, fabrics and other materials were used to
manufacture the majority of articles and objects from military applications all the way to the
decoration of Christmas trees and everything in between. Today the amount of disposable objects
made of plastic has reached in some places almost a catastrophic epidemic situation.
The first plastic based on a synthetic polymer was made from phenol and formaldehyde, with the
first viable and cheap synthesis methods invented in 1907, by Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-
born American living in New York State. Bakelite was a purely synthetic material, not derived from
living matter.
Plastic is material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic
compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into solid objects.
Plasticity is the general property of all materials, which can deform irreversibly without breaking but, in the class of moldable polymers, this occurs to
such a degree that their actual name derives from this ability.
Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other
substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but
many are made from renewable materials such as polylactic acid from corn or cellulosics from
cotton linters.
Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water,
plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper clips to
spaceships. They have already displaced many traditional materials, such as wood, stone, horn
and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass, and ceramic, in most of their former uses.
PLASTIC IS EVERYWHERE!
Nearly all of the world’s tap water contains microscopic fibers of plastic, a new study found, sparking concerns that millions may be consuming hazardous
water.
The research, directed by nonprofit news outlet Orb Media based in Washington, D.C., with the help of researchers from the University of Minnesota and
the State University of New York, involved collecting more than 150 tap-water samples in cities on five continents. Of those, 83 percent tested positive for
microplastic.
Rates varied depending on location, from 72 percent across test samples in Europe to 82 percent in India and a high of 94 percent in the United States.
Plastic waste in the world’s oceans has been a major environmental concern for
decades—300 million tons of plastic are produced annually and much of it ends up
floating in rivers and oceans. This devastates marine life and ecosystems. But Orb’s study
revealed the increasing threat plastic waste poses to human health.
Deutsche Welle reported: “When consumed, plastic fibers may ferry toxins from the
environment into the human body, experts fear. “Researcher Richard Thompson of
Plymouth University said that in animal studies, ‘it became clear very early on that the
plastic would release those chemicals—and that actually, the conditions in the gut would
facilitate really quite rapid release.’”
Experts are not entirely clear how the plastic fibers enter tap water sources. But there is
“one confirmed source of plastic fiber pollution,” the German news outlet continued.
“Synthetic garments emit up to 700,000 fibers per washload, researchers
found. Much of that evades treatment and is discharged into public
waterways.”
Mary Kosuth, who worked on the study, said that while the findings present a serious
issue, there is more to discover.
“Since this is the first global tap water survey of plastic pollution to have been
completed, the results of this study serve as an initial glimpse at the consequences of
human plastic use [and] disposal rather than a comprehensive assessment of global
plastic contamination,” she wrote, according to Fox News. “These results call for
further testing within and between regions.”
The main issue with plastic is its almost null biodegradable capacity. Plastic is here to stay for a long time. A popular saying tells that your grocery plastic
bag will last 500 years. The actual plastic material will last for a long time that is a fact; if the bag is cut in small pieces, each one of them will be here in for
a long, long time. This number is not an acurate one since plastic bags have only been around for about 50 years, so there's no firsthand evidence of their
decomposition rate.
To make long-term estimates of this sort, scientists often use respirometry tests. The experimenters place a solid waste sample—like a newspaper,
banana peel, or plastic bag—in a vessel containing microbe-rich compost, then aerate the mixture. Over the course of several days, microorganisms
assimilate the sample bit by bit and produce carbon dioxide; the resultant CO2 level serves as an indicator of degradation.
Respirometry tests work perfectly for newspapers and banana peels. (Newspapers take two to five months to biodegrade in a compost heap; banana
peels take several days.) But when scientists test generic plastic bags, nothing happens—there's no CO2 production and no decomposition. Why? The
most common type of plastic shopping bag—the kind you get at supermarkets—is made of polyethylene, a man-made polymer that microorganisms
don't recognize as food.
So, where does the 500-year statistic come from? Although standard polyethylene bags don't biodegrade, they do photodegrade. When exposed to
ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, polyethylene's polymer chains become brittle and start to crack. This suggests that plastic bags will eventually
fragment into microscopic granules. As of yet, however, scientists aren't sure how many centuries it takes for the sun to work its magic. That's why
certain news sources cite a 500-year estimate while others prefer a more conservative 1,000-year lifespan. According to some plastics experts, all these
figures are just another way of saying "a really, really long time."
NON BIODEGRADABLE
Having said all this, in concrete, the fact is that if you drink tap water or use tap water for cooking and water your pets tap water, you, your
loved ones and your pets may have been ingesting plastic for quite some time. Not a healthy thing to do!
Is there a solution?
1. There is one path that seems to be a bit radical in that it recommends eliminating plastic containers. There are several organizations claiming that
bottled water offers a high risk of contamination. People have claimed chemicals inside plastics leach into food or drink causing cancer. In particular there
have been concerns about Bisphenol A (BPA) and dioxins in plastic bottles or plastic containers.
But there is no convincing evidence to show using plastic bottles or plastic containers increases the risk of cancer.
If interested in this subject, there is an article about the matter. Please visit at: Plastic bottles and food containers
2. Water Filtration. This is a complex issue and one that can be expensive. There are several methods of water filtration, each one of them offering
solutions to specific needs.
Among the many options in the market Solid Block Carbon Filters are recognized by the EPA as the best option for removing chemicals like herbicides,
pesticides and VOCs. Quality carbon block filters will remove chemicals, pesticides, bacteria, fluoride (with filter attachment), heavy metals, nitrate,
nitrites and parasites. Most are gravity based and can safely transform any type of water into safe drinking water including rainwater, pond water and
even seawater.
Have a Healthy Glass Of Water!