THE PLASTIC MENACE AND OUR FOOD,OUR ENVIRONMENT, PART 1
OH MY GOD . We must do something about this plastic menace. When I see the amount of plastic waste in the lanes and bylanes of Chennai I feel miserable.
Tamilnadu has announced that plastic will be banned from January 2019.Very good news provided it really happens.Let us pray to God earnestly that this plan will come into force bypassing all varieties of obstacles,political or otherwise.
GOOD NEWS AGAIN FROM EUROPE...............
It is the last straw for single-use plastic items in Europe as European Parliament officials adopted a plan Wednesday to ban such items in participating countries by 2021.The European Parliament said in a statement that plastic items like plates, cutlery, straws, cotton swabs, etc. make up more than 70 percent of the marine trash in oceans and other waterways. The parliament's new measure would also go after products made of oxo-degradable plastics, which include bags, packaging and fast food containers made from polystyrene.
According to the Ocean Conservancy, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter the world's oceans each year.
The picture above depicts a dead pilot whale which died off the shores of Thailand despite the local people's efforts to save it . 15 pounds of plastic was found from it's stomach.
Researchers monitored participants from 8 countries from all over the world and found 9 different types of Microplastics in their stool samples. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm and created by breaking down of larger plastics by degradation or wear and tear..They encourage bio accumulation in the gut,affect immune response,and lead to production of toxins and pathogens.These toxins can lead to various diseases mainly cancer. Cancer has become a much more commoner disease nowadays than about even 50 years back. I am a surgeon ,I know.I am a General surgeon and I have been operating on people with cancer. Formerly and probably even now early diagnosis and early surgery can lead to long time survival.And I have definitely noted the fact that the incidence of cancer was much lower 30 years back.
The researchers found that all the participants were exposed to plastic,either they ate from plastic containers or wraps.Or they consumed sea fish.Or drank water and other beverages from plastic bottles.Even the plastic/paper cups used for consuming hot tea/coffee or dangerous.
.Many years ago we used glass bottles for milk which had to be given back while taking a new set. Remember Haringhata dairy in Kolkata? And the small milk booths where we used to go and collect milk. The bottles we gave back were sent to the sterilising plant where they were re circulated,not recycled. We used to carry cotton or jute bags to buy food articles which were sold loose in the local shops in a clean and pure form.There were no supermarkets selling plastic packed food items. My neighbour tells me that in her native place,Palakkad,shops have stopped giving plastic bags for many years.People carry cotton or jute bags to the shops and markets.
By the way recycled plastics are much more dangerous than original plastics.People who use recycled plastic plates ,dishes and pitchers in water starved Chennai are more prone to develop stomach and gut related cancers,also maybe other varieties of cancers.
Overall Chennai seems to be a plastic dump and even those not using plastics are exposed to the dirty environment.
We will look into the horrible effects plastic waste in the ocean is having on sea life.Like the pilot whale and fish with a plastic headpiece in the next part of these series of articles.
Plastic waste is the main concern in environmental pollution.Our ideas about Solid Waste Management seem to be in a very embryonic state.The refusal of plastic must be a concern of each and every individual.The government must educate the people about the harmful effects of plastic.The government should educate mainly the poor,illiterate people.And each of us must take out time to educate people around us.Let us vote for a plastic free world.
And we must rehabilitate the Kabadiwalahs/plastic waste buyers definitely!!!!
TO BE CONTINUED............
Tamilnadu has announced that plastic will be banned from January 2019.Very good news provided it really happens.Let us pray to God earnestly that this plan will come into force bypassing all varieties of obstacles,political or otherwise.
GOOD NEWS AGAIN FROM EUROPE...............
It is the last straw for single-use plastic items in Europe as European Parliament officials adopted a plan Wednesday to ban such items in participating countries by 2021.The European Parliament said in a statement that plastic items like plates, cutlery, straws, cotton swabs, etc. make up more than 70 percent of the marine trash in oceans and other waterways. The parliament's new measure would also go after products made of oxo-degradable plastics, which include bags, packaging and fast food containers made from polystyrene.
According to the Ocean Conservancy, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter the world's oceans each year.
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| A DEAD PILOT WHALE |
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| 15 POUNDS OF PLASTIC FOUND FROM THE STOMACH OF THE WHALE |
The picture above depicts a dead pilot whale which died off the shores of Thailand despite the local people's efforts to save it . 15 pounds of plastic was found from it's stomach.
 |
| A FISH TRAPPED IN A PLASTIC CUP IN PERUNGUDI LAKE IN CHENNAI |
Researchers monitored participants from 8 countries from all over the world and found 9 different types of Microplastics in their stool samples. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm and created by breaking down of larger plastics by degradation or wear and tear..They encourage bio accumulation in the gut,affect immune response,and lead to production of toxins and pathogens.These toxins can lead to various diseases mainly cancer. Cancer has become a much more commoner disease nowadays than about even 50 years back. I am a surgeon ,I know.I am a General surgeon and I have been operating on people with cancer. Formerly and probably even now early diagnosis and early surgery can lead to long time survival.And I have definitely noted the fact that the incidence of cancer was much lower 30 years back.
The researchers found that all the participants were exposed to plastic,either they ate from plastic containers or wraps.Or they consumed sea fish.Or drank water and other beverages from plastic bottles.Even the plastic/paper cups used for consuming hot tea/coffee or dangerous.
.Many years ago we used glass bottles for milk which had to be given back while taking a new set. Remember Haringhata dairy in Kolkata? And the small milk booths where we used to go and collect milk. The bottles we gave back were sent to the sterilising plant where they were re circulated,not recycled. We used to carry cotton or jute bags to buy food articles which were sold loose in the local shops in a clean and pure form.There were no supermarkets selling plastic packed food items. My neighbour tells me that in her native place,Palakkad,shops have stopped giving plastic bags for many years.People carry cotton or jute bags to the shops and markets.
 |
| DAIRY ENTRANCE WITH TWO BOTTLES DEPICTING GLASS BOTTLES. |
By the way recycled plastics are much more dangerous than original plastics.People who use recycled plastic plates ,dishes and pitchers in water starved Chennai are more prone to develop stomach and gut related cancers,also maybe other varieties of cancers.
 |
| RECYCLED PLASTIC PITCHERS IN RAINBOW COLORS |
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| BRIDGE OVER COOUM |
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| MAMBALAM CANAL SAIDAPET |
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| ADYAR RIVER PLASTIC WASTE |
Plastic waste is the main concern in environmental pollution.Our ideas about Solid Waste Management seem to be in a very embryonic state.The refusal of plastic must be a concern of each and every individual.The government must educate the people about the harmful effects of plastic.The government should educate mainly the poor,illiterate people.And each of us must take out time to educate people around us.Let us vote for a plastic free world.
And we must rehabilitate the Kabadiwalahs/plastic waste buyers definitely!!!!
TO BE CONTINUED............
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