Implications Of Plastic Elimination For The Human Essay

Implications Of Plastic Elimination For The Human - Essay Example As such various environmental issues like pollution due to the accumulation of such waste in natural habitats occur. In addition, wild and domestic animals sometimes ingest these plastics or entangle in them causing a menace. Furthermore, the leaching of chemicals present in these plastics into the soil pollutes the terrestrial, marine, and freshwater habitats, which subsequently affects plants and animals. In the economic front, many losses have been incurred because of ghost fishing, which results from discarded fishing nets in water bodies (SEPDP, 2011). Plastics can be hazardous to human health as well, especially when its chemical constituents accumulate in human bodies. This process is referred to as bioaccumulation and causes a myriad of health problems in human bodies. A good example is the component phthalate that has been shown to affect the male reproductive system after exposure (Hu et. al., 2009). This is due to the effect of phthalates on hormones. Studies have shown that phthalates either mimic or interfere with actions of natural hormones like estrogen and androgens. In males, this plasticizer is associated with testicular dysgenesis syndrome, TDS (Hu et. al., 2009). This term refers to a number of disorders and abnormalities in the male reproductive system. Exposure to phthalates causes a condition referred to as cryptorchidism, which is characterized by undescended testes. Another condition, hypospadias, indicating abnormal urethral meatus is also caused by phthalate exposure in young males. In addition to these effect s, phthalate exposure also affects adult males, causing reduced fertility and cancer cases. This could affect the future population in terms of birth defects that could lead to abnormal or malformed reproductive organs. This coupled with reduced fertility and increased cancer threatens the existence and survival of future generations.