The question mark about the dangers of hazardous waste was removed in 1978 with the contamination of Love Canal. The degradation of the water from chemical waste from the community and a nearby chemical plant and the subsequent building of a school on the site resulted in a high incidence of serious health effects. The direct effect on the health of the nearby residents was well documented. In 1983, only a few years later, the US Congressional Budget Office estimated the production of plastic generated more than a ton of hazardous waste for every person in the US.
Making plastic involves two processes. Plastic production is the creation of polymers and resins. Then these components are made into their final form, called plastics processing. Both the production and the processing use toxic chemicals. The concerns about plastics start in the plant with direct dangers to plant workers. Examples include the condition known as “meat wrappers asthma”, which can develop in people working in PVC plants. Chronic exposure to chromium oxide, used in the creation of HDPE (used in plastic milk jugs), can cause severe liver and nervous system damage.
Then there are the dangers to the communities surrounding the plants and the hazardous waste created in their production. Exposures to vinyl chloride emissions near PVC plants have been found to increase incidents of liver and brain cancer in nearby populations for example. Wastewater sludge from the creation of PVC has been found to contain dioxins, which are carcinogenic.
If we look specifically at the creation of plastic water bottles, most of the store bought water bottles we purchase now are made with Polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET (#1 on the bottom). Among the toxic chemicals used in their production are antimony oxide, a suspected carcinogen, and lead oxide and lead chromate. Lead is extremely toxic and is listed as a hazardous waste. PET may also include cadmium compounds which are a suspected human carcinogen and has been found to cause birth defects in laboratory animals. It is also listed as a hazardous waste and can cause extreme reactions in workers that inhale as little as 1/1000 of an ounce during production. Ethylene Oxide is another carcinogen used in the production of PET, which is listed as a hazardous waste.
Producing a 16 oz. PET bottle generates toxic emissions of nickel, ethyl oxide and benzene, it creates more than 100 times the toxic emissions that the same size glass bottle.
Making plastic involves two processes. Plastic production is the creation of polymers and resins. Then these components are made into their final form, called plastics processing. Both the production and the processing use toxic chemicals. The concerns about plastics start in the plant with direct dangers to plant workers. Examples include the condition known as “meat wrappers asthma”, which can develop in people working in PVC plants. Chronic exposure to chromium oxide, used in the creation of HDPE (used in plastic milk jugs), can cause severe liver and nervous system damage.
Then there are the dangers to the communities surrounding the plants and the hazardous waste created in their production. Exposures to vinyl chloride emissions near PVC plants have been found to increase incidents of liver and brain cancer in nearby populations for example. Wastewater sludge from the creation of PVC has been found to contain dioxins, which are carcinogenic.
If we look specifically at the creation of plastic water bottles, most of the store bought water bottles we purchase now are made with Polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PET (#1 on the bottom). Among the toxic chemicals used in their production are antimony oxide, a suspected carcinogen, and lead oxide and lead chromate. Lead is extremely toxic and is listed as a hazardous waste. PET may also include cadmium compounds which are a suspected human carcinogen and has been found to cause birth defects in laboratory animals. It is also listed as a hazardous waste and can cause extreme reactions in workers that inhale as little as 1/1000 of an ounce during production. Ethylene Oxide is another carcinogen used in the production of PET, which is listed as a hazardous waste.
Producing a 16 oz. PET bottle generates toxic emissions of nickel, ethyl oxide and benzene, it creates more than 100 times the toxic emissions that the same size glass bottle.
Some water bottles are still made with polycarbonate plastic (#7 on the bottom). These are usually the brightly colored clear plastic water bottles that used to be popular for hiking and outdoors activities. This is the plastic that contains Bisphenol A (BPA) that we've been hearing so much about. Many companies have stopped using this plastic for this purpose.
Compound the dangers of exposure to these chemicals in the plants and the resulting air and water contamination with the sheer volume of plastic bottle production, and we have a serious situation.
The next blog will address The Second Prong-Plastic Water Bottle Use
Compound the dangers of exposure to these chemicals in the plants and the resulting air and water contamination with the sheer volume of plastic bottle production, and we have a serious situation.
The next blog will address The Second Prong-Plastic Water Bottle Use
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