We all know plastic has become a part of our daily lives. Without realizing that, we often use plastic bags when we go shopping to the market, supermarket or department store.
We also sometimes drink beverage bottles that made from plastic and use the other plastic objects. Actually this causes the amount of plastic waste is increase in our environment day by day. As you know, it takes a very long time to break down plastic waste naturally.
Burn plastic waste activity is a common practice among Indonesians. It is considered a quick and easy solution to reduce overflowing garbage.
Those compounds mix with chloride often found in food waste. When they are set on fire, the mixture releases gas that is harmful to human and environment. Here’s also about List of Banned Chemicals in Philippines
If dioxin is inhaled, it can instantly cause coughing, shortness of breath and dizziness. Long-term exposure to dioxin can also causes cancer.
So, is this safe burning plastic waste? What is the effect of burning plastic waste especially for our health?
This is the explanation for the overview. Actually, burning plastic activity is so dangerous for health. When we burn plastic, we often don’t realize its release some chemicals harmful into the air. They are carbon monoxide, dioxin and furans, volatiles and other particles. These subtances are very vulnerable for our bodies. Here’s also about Harmful Chemicals Used in Lipstick And Beauty Products
The following will describe the health effects of each substances produced from burning plastic waste. Smoke from burning waste including plastics can produce the harmful chemical such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, arsenic and furans and many more. Here’s also about The Dangerous Effects of Burning Plastics in the Environment
People who breathes the smoke of burning plastic waste, has the highest risk of health problems in their body.
These are three chemicals are release when plastic is burning.
1. Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is one of the type of substances that very harmful if its inhaled in large quantities. Carbon monoxide causes dizziness and headaches. In addition, carbon monoxide causes visual disorders and decreased consciousness. Here’s also about What Happens When You Mix Calcium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate?
2. Dioxin and furans
Both of these chemicals that is dioxin and furans have been causes cancer disorders. This chemicals can also cause fetal failure if inhaled by pregnant women. In addition, dioxin and furans can affect the reproductive system and hormones in the body.
Especially increase puberty on girls and the risk of testicular cancer for men. The researchers have conducted a research about the effects of dioxin on birds. The results show that dioxin can change the sexual behavior of male birds into females. It may happen in humans even though it needs more examination for that.
3. Volatile
This subtance causes many various problems from cancer until nervous system disorders. Volatile can also causes many various respiratory system such as respiratory irritation, asthma and chronic lung disease.
Seeing the high risk of health that causes by burning plastic waste. We, of course must prevent the burning of waste in both closed and open spaces. This impact is not only feel by us, but certainly also dangerous for the people around us.
The burning plastics not only harmful for our body health but also for Ozone. It will produce carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas that continues and much more can make the ozone layer reduce. Here’s also about What Is The Use of Carbon Dioxide Present in The Air?
When the ozone layer reduce the earth’s temperature will be hotter. Then if the earth’s temperature gets hotter before, ice polar will melted and the plants will be difficult to grow. Of course, that will definitely disrupt our earth life.
Finally, the best way that we can do is to reduce the use of plastic materials. This also being campaign by the government right now. The lack of using plastic will reduce the amount of plastic waste in our environment.
Because we know that the effect of burning plastic waste is dangerous not only for our body health but also for our beloved environment.
So, from now we must be wise in managing plastic waste. Separate the plastic waste with organic garbage to help janitors to manage the waste for recycling purposes. By doing this, it means we already care about the environment’s health and also our body health. We can “go green”.