What are the hazards of plastic factories?

As we all know, plastic is one of the biggest pollutants in our lives, and the plastic factories that exist in our lives are extremely harmful to us, because plastics are synthesized from various chemicals, and the toxic substances they emit will seriously pollute our water sources, and residents who live around plastic factories for a long time will have a higher cancer rate. Moreover, the gases produced when plastics are burned cause serious pollution to our atmospheric environment.

There are many types of plastics, polyethylene PE and polystyrene PS are just two of them. Compared with the two, PS is more toxic.

If you eat it and it can be excreted with feces, it will not cause harm to the human body, unless it is hard plastic, which can easily scratch the stomach wall and intestines.

Generally, cups that meet national standards are non-toxic when filled with boiling water. For example, PET material can only be decomposed at a high temperature of more than 200 degrees Celsius. Therefore, you can use plastic cups from regular manufacturers with complete confidence. As far as I know, the materials used to make such cups are generally PE, PP, and PET. Other materials such as PVC and PS are rarely used.

The gases produced by burning plastics are more harmful to the human body. For example, toluene is produced when polystyrene burns. A small amount of this substance can cause blindness and vomiting if inhaled. The combustion of PVC will also produce toxic hydrogen chloride gas. In addition to combustion, the high temperature environment will cause the plastic to decompose into toxic components, such as benzene rings. However, the substances produced by simple plastic materials such as PE and PP for the above reasons will not cause too much harm to the human body. However, since plastics are difficult to decompose under natural conditions, white pollution is also a very serious problem. After all, plastics are not native to nature, but are synthesized by humans. The principle of producing toxic components is that polymers receive energy and decompose. Their monomers generally have very high polarity and can easily destroy active tissues.

Plastic bags do bring convenience to our lives, but this temporary convenience brings long-term harm.

Plastic bags have a low recycling value. In addition to being scattered on city streets, tourist areas, water bodies, and on both sides of roads and railways during use, causing "visual pollution", they also pose potential hazards.

The plastic structure is stable, not easily degraded by natural microorganisms, and will not separate for a long time in the natural environment. This means that if waste plastics are not recycled, they will become pollutants in the environment, permanently exist and accumulate, causing great harm to the environment.

First, it affects agricultural development. Waste plastic products continue to accumulate in the soil, which will affect the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, leading to reduced crop yields.

Second, it poses a threat to animal survival. Waste plastic products abandoned on land or in water are swallowed by animals as food, causing their death. Last year, nearly a thousand sheep of 20 herdsmen living near Qinghai Lake died as a result, resulting in economic losses of more than 300,000 yuan. Sheep like to eat the oily residues wrapped in plastic bags, but they often eat the plastic bags together. Because the plastic stays in the stomach for a long time and is difficult to digest, the stomachs of these sheep become crowded and they can no longer eat, and eventually they starve to death. Such things are common in zoos, pastoral areas, rural areas and oceans.

Third, waste plastics not only take up a large amount of land when buried with garbage, but the occupied land cannot be restored for a long time, affecting the sustainable use of the land. If waste plastic products that enter the domestic garbage are landfilled, they will not degrade for 200 years.

It is extremely harmful to the land, changing its acidity and alkalinity, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, and leading to reduced agricultural production. As for plastic products abandoned in the water or on land, they not only affect the environment, but also cause death if passively swallowed. This destroys the ecological balance.

Fourthly, high temperature will decompose toxic substances. Plastic products do not contain toxic substances, but because the recycling equipment is not perfect, the process is simple, and many manufacturers do not have a legal business license, when the temperature of reproduced plastic products reaches 65°C, toxic substances will precipitate and penetrate into food, causing harm to important parts of the human body such as the liver, kidneys, reproductive system and central nervous system.

"Visual pollution" refers to the damage to the city's appearance and landscape caused by plastic waste scattered around the city and discarded by people. For example, large amounts of polystyrene foam plastic tableware scattered along railways, in rivers and lakes, and ultra-thin plastic bags flying in the sky or hanging on tree branches, all of which bring bad visual stimulation to people and people react strongly to this.

"Potential crisis" refers to the environmental problems caused by the difficulty of plastic waste to degrade in the natural environment. Its hazards mainly include the following:

It is not easy to recycle because the cost of recycling is high but the utilization rate is low, so it can be said that it is not profitable for businesses. Moreover, due to its low recycling price, it is difficult to attract the general public to engage in "white recycling". Therefore, it becomes difficult to recycle.

Difficult to degrade. Recycled white waste is difficult to handle. At present, the main treatment methods are incineration and landfill. If it is incinerated, it will produce a large amount of toxic smoke, pollute the atmosphere, and promote the formation of acid rain. As for landfill, it will be buried for 100 years and will remain in its original state. It cannot be absorbed by nature and is extremely harmful to the land, changing its acidity and alkalinity, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, and leading to agricultural production reduction. As for plastic products abandoned in water or on land, they not only affect the environment, but also cause death if passively swallowed. This destroys the ecological balance.

High temperatures will decompose toxic substances. Plastic products do not contain toxic substances, but because the recycling equipment is not perfect, the process is simple, and many manufacturers do not have a legal business license, when the temperature of reproduced plastic products reaches 65°C, toxic substances will precipitate and seep into food, causing harm to important parts of the human body such as the liver, kidneys, reproductive system and central nervous system.

The “potential crisis” refers to the environmental problems caused by the difficulty of plastic waste to degrade in the natural environment.

The hazards mainly include the following:

It is not easy to recycle because the cost of recycling is high but the utilization rate is low, so it can be said that it is not profitable for businesses. Moreover, due to its low recycling price, it is difficult to attract the general public to engage in "white recycling". Therefore, it becomes difficult to recycle.