PVC
– The problematic materials?
PVC used in coral reefs project. Is it good or just another junks that comforting the marine conservationist? By using PVC and cable tie, everyone are just adding the plastics to our ocean.
What
is PVC- the name is Polyvinyl chloride is consisting of poisonous sub-stances
and high percentage of chloride, which is rated as highly toxic chemical
element. This is a major issue as all those elements are problematic not just
during the production but also in daily use.
Synthetic
materials- almost every synthetic materials contains toxic substances which is
used as flame retardants, stabilizer, softeners and hardeners. It does interact with other chemical substances
and certain level of exposure will detached the poisonous substances and
dissolve out from the main materials(plastic) and to enter to our environment
including ocean.
What
natural science said: for example, contains the hardener bisphenol A (BPA), a syn-
thetic hormone that acts as an artificial estrogen causing our bodies to
feminize. The disruption of the hormone system caused by hormonally effective
substances is associated with prema- ture puberty in girls, adiposis in adults
and teen- agers, type 2 diabetes, an increase in prostate and breast cancer, as
well as with low sperm count and deformities of the sexual organs. BPA can be
found in water bottles, comforters, micro- wave dishes and in the internal
coating of bev- erage and tin cans. Thus the omnipresence of plastic has – from
its production, use and disposal – harmful effects on humanity and the
environment. Considering the gigantic amounts of plastic produced and consumed
worldwide each year, the issues de- scribed above become even more dramatic. .-
source: natural science
PVC stimulate the coral to grow on it, but at last the danger came from the same sources, the plastic elements from the PVC itself.
Current
level of Plastic waste- According to the Darrin Qualman (a researcher), the
current plastics production is estimated at 400millions tonnes in 2017, mostly
being using by the packaging industries. This lightweight, durable, airtight,
decay resistant and inexpensive materials can be found in most of our daily
used products.
Most
Plastic had been flown to our ocean?- As per disclosures by many different
organisation and NGO’s around the world, the average of 10-12% of plastic waste
ended up in our ocean.
PVC
as artificial reefs? It seem like many countries actually using PVC as
artificial reef to encourage the coral grows of the coral reefs, PVC is a
synthetic plastic polymer, which will detached into sub-elements(micro
particals), the toxic will be release to our ocean, worst when the elements are
indigested by the marine creatures because the toxic actually grown according
to the size of the marine life including fishes. In conclusion, using PVC as
the artificial reefs agent should not take place in any conservation program,
plus the usage of cable tie(which is plastic), do we really save the ocean or
damaged it more?
What
can I do to protect our ocean?
- 3R- Reuse, reduce and recycle
- Avoid using PVC as artificial reef in the future
- Spreading the words to others about the toxics created
- Remove any marine debris from your daily activity
- Do not be a fanatics about conservation, result don’t come in short times
- If you are a scientist, please guide us on how we can do our part to make our ocean cleaner
Article (Malin Jacob &
Andrew Holmes)
Plastics break down into
small fragments in the ocean (Malin
Jacob)
Plastic is made to be
strong and durable, so it can take a long time to break down.
"Plastics are very
hard materials so they are hard to break down unless you can burn them,"
said Professor Holmes.
"There are some you
can get back to original building blocks, but not many."
These include the newer plant-based bioplastics made out of polylactic
acid (PLA). But much like traditional petrochemical plastics such as Perspex,
PLA-based plastics only break down under very high temperatures.
What
is plastic made from?
•
Plastics is the name we give to a group of substances mostly
made from carbon-based molecules arranged in many repeat units (n) in a long
chain known as a polymer.
•
There are many different types of plastics depending upon what
is attached to the carbon
•
Plastic shopping bags, for example, are made from a type of
polymer called polyethylene (C2H4n) — where each unit in the chain is made up
of two hydrogen atoms joined to one carbon atom.
•
Most plastics are derived from petroleum, although some newer
ones, known as bioplastics, are derived from building blocks produced by microbial
fermentation or from corn syrup.
•
Chemicals including colourants, foaming agents, plasticisers,
antioxidants and flame retardants can be added to different types of plastics
to give them specific qualities such as colour, texture, flexibility and
durability.
In the natural
environment, the main things that break down plastics are sunlight, oxygen and
water.
"The problem is that normal degradation leaves
particles that can still be harmful to living things — nanoparticles and
microparticles," said Professor Holmes.
"That includes
so-called degradable polymers used in some plastic bags, which have starch
added to help them fall apart."
The rate at which plastic
breaks down depends upon the conditions and the type of plastic.
It breaks down faster if
exposed to physical abrasion and sunlight — so it will break down faster in
surf zones than if it is buried under sediment in an estuary, Dr Wilcox explained.
"Then there's a lot
to do with how thick the plastic is, how dense the plastic is, and does it have
UV stabilisers."
For example, dense
monofilament fishing line could last for up to 600 years, whereas a thin
plastic bag getting bashed around in the surf could last just months.
"But even if that bag
breaks down over the course of six months or a year, it might well have had a
lot of environmental impact before that," he said.
