Plastic pollution-crisis

Plastic Pollution Crisis :
an Emerging Health and
Environmental Concern
Ahmed-Refat A.G Refat
Prof. Occupational Health
FOM-ZU 2020

Current state
of the Plastic
Pollution Crisis

Plastic packaging
Plastic packaging accounts for
•36% of all plastics made,
•but amounts to 47% of all
plastic waste;
•90% of all plastic items are
used once, and then
discarded,Dr.AhmedRefat 04/2020 4

The USA recycle just 9% of its plastic
trash
Dr.AhmedRefat 04/2020 5

Up to 9 of 10 seabirds, 1 in 3 sea
turtles and more than half of whale
and dolphin species have ingested
plastic.

‫في‬2050‫بالستك‬ ‫نفايات‬ ‫بالمحيطات‬ ‫سيكون‬
‫أسماك‬ ‫من‬ ‫المحيطات‬ ‫في‬ ‫ما‬ ‫وزن‬ ‫تساوي‬
• Each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastics
leak into the ocean )one garbage truck every
minute(
• It is expected to increase to 2/min by 2030 and
4/min by 2050.
• …. plastic packaging represents the major share.
• It is estimated that there are over 150 million
tonnes of plastics in the ocean today.
• the ocean is expected to contain 1 tonne of
plastic for every 3 tonnes of fish by 2025, and by
2050, more plastics than fish (by weight).

https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/interesting-
facts-about-plastic-bags
• Plastic will only start degrading
after 700 years and will only fully
degrade in 1000 years.
• This means that all the plastic
that has ever been produced has
not degraded yet.

But ….. it Degrades and
Decomposes into small
fragments..…. then into
smaller and finer fragments
called:
Micro- and Nano-Plastics
Plastic polymer do not readily
depolymerise

• Most plastics do not biodegrade.
• Instead, they slowly break down into
smaller fragments known as
microplastics.
• Studies suggest that plastic bags and
“Styrofoam” containers can take up to
thousands of years to decompose,
contaminating soil and water.

Plastic Pollution Concern
2010
Microplastic
Soil & Air

Number of published studies (in PubMed) on
microplastic and health through years 2009-2019
pubmed - microplastic health
year count
2020 60
2019 159
2018 89
2017 42
2016 19
2015 10
2014 3
2013 5
2012 1
2011 1
2009 1
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=microplastic++healthDr.AhmedRefat 04/2020 12

Microplastics & Nanoplastics.
Microplastics :
particles with a diameter >5 mm,
Nanoplastics
particles, measuring <0.1μm in
diameter

Microplastics:
Three Different Hazards
MP Contain Three Types of Chemicals:
1. Plastic polymeric raw materials .
2. Chemical Additives and
3.Ab-/adsorbed Contaminants from
the environment.

1. Plastic polymeric raw materials
• Currently, there are in commerce
more than 5,300 grades of synthetic
polymers.
• Their heterogeneous physico-chemical properties
will likely result in very heterogeneous fates and
effects once they enter the environment.
(( A challenge for environmental Health and
decision making )) .

Styrofoam
• Styrofoam items contain toxic chemicals
such as styrene and benzene.
• Both are considered carcinogenic and
can lead to additional health
complications, including adverse effects
on the nervous, respiratory and
reproductive systems, and possibly on
the kidneys and liver

Plastic Additives – cont,
• The 150 million tonnes of plastics currently in
the ocean include roughly 23 million tonnes
of additives, of which some raise concern.
• Estimates suggest that about 225,000 tonnes
of such additives could be released into the
ocean annually.
• This number could increase to 1.2 million
tonnes per year by 2050.

Additives Hazards– cont,
Additives makes plastics as a
cocktail of contaminants that can
leach into the air, water, food, and,
potentially, human body tissue
during their use or their disposal,
thus exposing us to several
chemicals together.

Additives Hazards– cont,
Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and
prominated flame retardants,
have been proven to be
Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs)
that can damage human health if
ingested or inhaled .

Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs)
EDS has been associated with :
• Hormonal cancers (breast, prostate, testes),
• Reproductive problems (genital
malformations, infertility),
• Metabolic disorders (diabetes, obesity),
• Asthma,
• Neurodevelopmental conditions (learning
disorders, autism spectrum disorders).

A single plastic particle can
absorb up to 1,000,000 times
more toxic chemicals than the
water around it
3. MP as a vector of contaminants

3. MP as a vector of contaminants
• In the aquatic environment ( and also
in any medium ) , plastic mopping up
chemicals in surrounding water.
Several persistent organic pollutants
(POPs) can bind to it .

Rafting Phenomenon
MP as a carrier for bacteria and viruses
Microplastic debris may
facilitate the transport of
microorganisms that bind to its
surface causing migration over
long distances

From Ecosystem Health to
Human Health
• Studies point to economic effects, such as
income loss among fishermen due to plastic
debris , damage to marine industries , and loss of
tourism profits , which subsequently have social
consequences.
• Today’s discussions center on the impacts of
• microplastics on food for human consumption
,with possible threats for food safety and
human health.

Microplastics in Food
• According to a recent study , Cox et al [2019],
microplastics were found in sugar 0.44 MPs/g
• 0.11 MPs/g were found in salt,
• 0.03 MPs/g were found in alcohol,
• and 0.09 MPs/g were found in bottled water.
• intake of 80 g per day of microplastics via
plants (fruits and vegetable) that accumulate
MPs through uptake from polluted soil.

Microplatics in Water– cont,
• Out of 159 samples of globally sourced
tap water, 81% were found to contain
microplastic particles, with an overall
mean of 5.45 particles/L.
• 105 From a total of 259 individual
bottles of water
93% showed signs of microplastic
contamination with an
average of 10.4 particles/L.

MP translocation and penetration
• Only microplastics smaller than 150
μm may translocate across the
mammalian gut epithelium causing
systemic exposure.
• However, the absorption of these
microplastics is expected to be
limited (≤ 0.3 percent).

MP translocation and penetration
• Only the smallest microplastic
fraction (size ≤ 20 μm) may
penetrate into organs and cause
systemic exposure.
• Most likely, microplastics will
interact with the immune system
but reports in humans are lacking.

Plastic Lifecycle– cont,
Almost every single piece of plastic
begins as a petroleum fuel,
and greenhouse gases are emitted at
each of the stages of plastics lifecycle:
from extraction and transport of
petroleum fuels, to manufacture and
production, to waste processing and
beyond.

Plastics and packaging generate
significant negative consequences
Three areas:
1.Degradation of natural systems as a result
of leakage, especially in the ocean;
2. Greenhouse gas emissions resulting from
production and after-use incineration;
3. and Health and Environmental impacts
from substances of concern.

Plastic & Carbon Budget
• By 2030, these emissions could reach
1.34 GT/Y—equivalent to the emissions
released by more than 295 new 500-
megawatt coal-fired power plants.
• By 2050, the cumulation of these
greenhouse gas emissions from plastic
could reach over 56 GT—10–13 % of the
entire remaining carbon budget
(Emission Quota ).

Plastic Crises &
The Largest Natural
Carbon Sink on the Planet
….. The
oceans

The Oceans …the Largest Natural
Carbon Sink on the Planet …..
• Earth’s oceans have absorbed 20–40 % of all
anthropogenic carbon emitted since the
dawn of the industrial era.
• Microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and
animals (zooplankton) play a critical role in
the biological carbon pump that captures
carbon at the ocean’s surface and transports
it into the deep oceans, preventing it from
reentering the atmosphere.

Phytoplankton Zooplankton
• Laboratory experiments suggest plastic pollution can
reduce the ability of phytoplankton to fix carbon
through photosynthesis.
• They also suggest that plastic pollution can reduce the
metabolic rates, reproductive success, and survival of
zooplankton that transfer the carbon to the deep
ocean.
• Research into these impacts is still in its infancy, but
early indications that plastic pollution may interfere
with the largest natural carbon sink on the planet
should be cause for immediate attention and serious
concern.

Phasing out
single-use
plastic shopping
“Bags”Dr.AhmedRefat 04/2020 36

• A plastic bag has
an average
• usable life of just
12 minutes
• but will survive
in the marine
environment for
thousands of
years, Dr.AhmedRefat 04/2020 37

Five Trillion Plastic Bags / Year !!
It is estimated that 1 to 5 trillion plastic
bags are consumed worldwide each year.
5.000.000.000 is almost =
10 million plastic bags per minute.
If tied together, all these plastic bags could
be wrapped around the world seven times
every hour.

Plastic Bag Alternatives
:
will fragment into smaller pieces
:
can be metabolized by microorganisms, such as
bacteria or fungi, over a ‘reasonable’ period of
time
biodegradable in a compost facility

Bioplastics
derived from
renewable sources
as
corn starch, cassava
roots, or sugarcane
or from bacterial
fermentation of
sugar or lipids

Many governments
banned conventional
plastic bags, allowing only
the use and production of
“biodegradable” bags.

• “biodegradable” plastic break down
completely only if exposed to prolonged
high temperatures above 50°C . Such
conditions are met in incineration plants, but very
rarely in the environment.
• Therefore, bioplastics do not
automatically degrade in the
environment and especially not in the
ocean.

Impact of the use of
on the environment
2018

• While some EU Member States have already
set an example and restricted the use of oxo-
degradable plastics, several countries in the
Middle-East and Africa are still promoting the
use of oxo-degradable plastics or even made
their use mandatory. Oxo-degradable plastics
are falsely marketed as a solution to the
plastic waste and littering problem in
countries where no effective waste
management infrastructure is in place.

Reusable Bags are heavier and
durable and more
environmentally friendly than
traditional single-use plastic bags .
•But !!!

• But !!! recycling reusable bags
can be complicated, time
intensive, and costly as they
often require different processes
from those locally available.

• Reusable bags might have to be
deconstructed in the recycling
process to separate the different
materials. Consequently, in many
cases reusable bags are not
recycled.

• This means that millions of reusable
bags, currently displacing
conventional plastic shopping bags,
will end up in landfills at the end of
their useful life.

Landfill ….. Dumping
Methane (CH4) is estimated to have a Global Warming
Potential (GWP) of 28–36 over 100 years
Aerobic CO2
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Anaerobic
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
Methane
METHANE 36 times
compared with co2

Plastic waste-to-energy
initiatives could significantly
increase* greenhouse gas
emissions and* increasing toxic
exposures for communities near
the incinerators/power stations .

Such operations transfer the
threat of plastic from the
oceans to the air, while
compounding its climate
impacts. This is the very
definition of a false solution.

Preventive and
Management Strategies
1. Voluntary
2. Public awareness & education
3. Laws: Banning
4. Laws: Fees/ Taxes ( Economic)
5. Laws: E.P.R

1- Voluntary
• Promotion of reusable alternatives
to single-use plastics . (Users)
• Voluntary agreements with retailers
(voluntarily ban) ( Retailers)
• Voluntarily establish Extended
Producer Responsibility.
( Producers)

2- Public education
•Introduction of
environmental
conservation principles in
school curriculums.
•Social campaigns.

3. Laws :Ban / EPR
• Bans the production, use, sale, etc. of
certain single-use plastic items Ban
(total or partial).
• Extended Producer Responsibility.
Laws and acts mandating that packaging
producers bear some responsibility in
recovering packaging waste.

Laws : Charges /Taxes
Charges / Taxes
• Suppliers
• Retailer
• Consumers

4-Combined
Ban (total or partial) +
Levy + Education + Extended
Producer Responsibility

• A 2019 study in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management found that:
• The implementation of a ban on
plastic carryout bags in California led
to a reduction of 40 million pounds
of plastic ……….
• but that Californians purchased
12 million pounds of plastic
through trash bag purchases.

• A 2019 study in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management found that
• Also, the study showed that before
the introduction of the ban between
12% and 22% of plastic carryout bags
were re-used as trash bags.

Plastic bag bans can
lead to
larger black markets in
plastic bags.

• The production of some non-plastic bags
(e.g. paper, cotton,,using virgin plastic
such as plastic having thickness of 50
micron) can produce more greenhouse
gas emissions than plastic bags,
• which means that greenhouse gas
emissions may increase on net following
plastic bag bans.

• Further, the bans can drive significant
increases in sales of trash bags; these
trash bags are thicker and thus use more
plastic than typical store-issued bags.
In conclusion:
• Policy evaluations that ignore leakage
effects overstate the regulation's
welfare gains.

• The charge strategy is said to have all
of the same results in plastic bag
reduction ( plastic bag ban) , with the
additional benefit of creating a new
revenue source.
• The plastic bag charge method also
protects consumer choice, which the
ban does not.

Waste Prevention
Measures taken before a product has
become waste .
a) Reduce the quantity of waste, as : reuse
of products or the extension of its life
(Quantitative Measures)
B) Reduce the content of harmful
substances in materials and products.
( Qualitative Measures)

Energy Recovery

• An important issue with recycling is that
different bags are made from different yet
visually similar types of plastics.
• Bags can be either made of bioplastics or
biodegradable plastics, and if accidentally
combined in a compost, the bioplastics could
contaminate the biodegradable composting.
• These bags can also jam recycling equipment
when mixed with other types of plastic, which
can be costly to repair

Recycling
• When we collect and remanufacture
plastic, we are only delaying its
disposal.
• The final destination for all plastic is
either a landfill, where it doesn’t
decompose, or an incinerator, where
it releases harmful chemicals when
burned.

Recycling
• Containers without necks, such as tubs and trays, are
not recyclable, even if they are marked with a one or a
two. This is because plastic bottles are “blow-molded,”
while plastic tubs are “injection-molded:” the different
additives used in each process mean the two cannot
be mixed during recycling.
• Bottle caps, which are not the same kind of plastic as
the bottles, must be removed,
• and the bottles should also be crushed so that bins
don’t fill up so quickly — this saves money for the
recycling program.
• Plastics with codes three through seven are NOT
recyclable in most programs.

Throwaway Culture
‫اإلستــهالك‬ ‫ثقافة‬
Linear Economy
• Putting in place measures to phase out single-
use plastic bags is a first step to addressing the
‘throwaway culture’ of a linear economy. The
choice of these bags as a starting point for
engaging the community is appropriate
because they touch every consumer, and
many practical and affordable alternatives
exist.

Linear Economic Model
• which uses resources in a
‘take-make-dispose’
manner,
• The resource depletion&
plastic pollution
problem.

Reuse Economic Model
• Reuse economy
involves some degree
of reusing or
repurposing of items,
although non-
recyclable waste is
still generated

Circular Economic Model
• The circular economy
aims to avoid the
production of waste
altogether, with
maximum recycling, and
is modelled on the way
where outputs from
some processes become
inputs for others

The circular economy seeks to eliminate waste
through:
• Elimination of unnecessary products and toxic
materials which minimizing recycling and
materials recovery.
• Products are designed to be reusable, repairable,
recyclable.
• Collective responsibility through the value chain
and extended producer responsibility

Five ways to fight the global plastics
problem.

‫البالستي‬ ‫أكياس‬ ‫مشكلة‬ ‫ومواجهة‬ ‫البيئة‬ ‫وزارة‬‫ك‬
•‫مصر‬ ‫فى‬ ‫البالستيك‬ ‫استخدام‬ ‫حجم‬ ‫قدر‬ُ‫ي‬12‫بليون‬‫كيس‬‫سنويا‬
•‫الحلول‬ ‫بعض‬‫لعدم‬‫استخدامه‬:
•‫منها‬‫االلتزام‬‫الطوعى‬‫قطاع‬ ‫من‬ ‫كبيرة‬ ‫لحصة‬‫التجزئة‬
‫الواحد‬ ‫االستخدام‬ ‫ذات‬ ‫البالستيكية‬ ‫األكياس‬ ‫توفير‬ ‫بعدم‬،
•‫وسن‬‫تشريع‬،‫المستخدمين‬ ‫أمام‬ ‫توافرها‬ ‫عدم‬ ‫لضمان‬
•‫وحظر‬‫استخدام‬‫من‬ ‫أقل‬ ‫البالستيكية‬ ‫األكياس‬30،‫مك‬ُ‫س‬ ‫ميكرون‬
•‫لى‬‫نظام‬ ‫اعتماد‬ ‫جانب‬‫مشجع‬‫لإلعفاءات‬‫الضرائ‬ ‫تخفيض‬ ‫أو‬‫ب‬
‫القابل‬ ‫البالستيك‬ ‫فى‬ ‫العاملة‬ ‫للمنظمات‬‫للتحلل‬

Plastic Pollution Crises
• Single-use plastics end up littering the
environment in part because of irresponsible
individual behavior.
• But poor waste management systems also
play a significant role.
Behavior + System

In Conclusion
Confronting Plastic Crises Will Require:
Governmentstoregulate,
Businessestoinnovate
andIndividualstoact.
ThankYou

Plastic pollution-crisis

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