Let's Stop Consuming Plastic . . .
VOCABULARY
An extremely worrying story was reported in many newspapers last week, however, it is a story that shouldn’t really shock us as the warning signs have been there for years. It concerns our overuse of plastic. In February, I wrote an article called "Give Up Plastic For Lent" about the impact that single-use plastic is having on our planet. After watching Blue Planet II, a fascinating wildlife documentary by Sir David Attenborough about how we are polluting our oceans with plastic, I tried to give up using plastic completely for a few months. I even bought a bamboo toothbrush to replace my plastic one, but it was very difficult as plastic is everywhere and difficult to avoid. Sometimes, I had to give in and I had a very guilty conscience afterwards. How was I supposed to help save the planet for the next generation, if I couldn’t even be consistent for a few months?
Now, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria have discovered that plastic is not only damaging our beautiful planet, but our own health too. A recent study has shown that they have found microplastic particles in the digestive system of people from all over the world. After testing individuals, from eight different countries, nine of the ten most common types of plastic were found in stool samples. Dr Philipp Schwabl, who led the study, said that "This confirms what we have long suspected, that plastic ultimately reaches the human gut". Studies on animals have shown that particles are capable of entering the blood stream, the lymphatic system and may reach the liver. "Now that we have first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health", Dr Schwabl said.
The researchers recruited eight people for a pilot study. They all had to supply a stool sample and keep a diary of what they had eaten. Each sample tested positive for microplastic particles and fragments of polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate, measuring less than 5 micrometres, were the most common. We are in contact with these substances every day as they are used to wrap food that we buy from the supermarkets, they are found in tap water, bottled water, beer, soft drinks in plastic bottles and even in clothing .Soitis inevitable that at least some of these particles will get into our digestive system and lungs.
Sian Sutherland, of the organisation "A Plastic Planet", which wants a reduction in the use of plastic, said: "We know that plastic microfibers ingested by fish carry toxins that migrate beyond the gut to other parts of the body. Why do we think humans will not be affected in the same way? Plastic is the tobacco of our generation and it is time we knew the truth of its impact."
It goes without saying that, if fish are eating the tonnes of plastic that we discard into our oceans every day, it is bound to end up on our plates and in our stomachs!
The report from the Medical University of Vienna is a warning to us all of how plastic is destroying us and our planet and it is hardly surprising. Of the 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste that the planet has produced, only 9 percent has been recycled and 12 percent incinerated. Much of the rest is to be found in our oceans, where it kills marine life that get tangled up in it, or choke on it as they try to swallow the plastic. A floating patch of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean measures 1.6 million square kilometres. Plastic lasts for decades, it is about time we all did something about it, before it is too late. worrying – beunruhigend to concern – betreffen overuse – übermäßiger Gebrauch single-use – einwegto pollute – verschmutzen to replace – ersetzen to avoid – vermeiden to give in – aufgeben guilty conscience – schlechtes Gewissen to be supposed to – sollen consistent – konsequent researcher – Forscher to discover – entdecken damaging – schädlich digestive system – Verdauungsapparat common – häufig stool samples – Stuhlproben to confirm – bestätigen to suspect – annehmen to reach – erreichen the human gut – der menschliche Bauch liver – Leber evidence – Beweis to supply – bereitstellen keep a diary – Tagebuch führen to wrap food – Nahrungsmittel einwickeln tap water – Leitungswasser clothing – Kleidung inevitable – unvermeidlich to ingest – aufnehmen toxin – Gift impact – Auswirkung to discard – wegwerfen hardly surprising – kaum überraschend to incinerate – verbrennen tangled up – verwickelt to choke – ersticken to swallow – schlucken floating patch – schwimmender Fleck rubbish – Müll