Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health

By Shylo

 

Author: Gianna Andrews
This case study by students of Geology and Human Health course in the Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University. Learn more about this project.

Over a few decades, humans have managed to dump tons upon tons of garbage into the ocean. Of the most devastating elements of this pollution is that plastics takes thousands of years to decay. As a result, fish and wildlife are becoming intoxicated. Consequently the toxins from the plastics have entered the food chain, threatening human health. In the most polluted places in the ocean, the mass of plastic exceeds the amount of plankton six times over. This is a large piece of evidence that leaves the problem of polluted oceans undeniable. It is upsetting that more of clean up effort is not taking place.

READ MORE SOURCE: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html