Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services Environmental Health Program Instructor Member Ahmet Adiller talked about the harms of plastic materials, whose production has reached serious levels, to the environment and living health, and listed individual measures to prevent pollution of the environment.
Stating that fossil fuels such as natural gas or oil are the raw materials of most of the plastics, which have been produced for more than 100 years and are widely used in almost every field today, Dr. Ahmet Adiller said, “Plastics, which started to be produced at the beginning of the 20th century, have been produced and used much more widely, especially since the 1950s. According to the researches, it is estimated that approximately 1950 billion tons of plastic was produced between 2017 and 9,2. Half of this amount produced was produced in the half between 2004 and 2017. The amount of plastic produced in 2020 is 400 million tons. If we make a short calculation, if we continue at this rate, we will produce plastics in 1950 years as much as it was produced in 2017 years between 67 and 23. If we take into account that the production rate will increase depending on the population growth rate, we are likely to produce much more.” He underlined that plastic production will create significant problems in the future.
Stating that there is actually no major health or environmental risk in terms of production, Dr. Ahmet Adiller said, “It creates environmental pollution as much as any production activity, but the main problem is that it is consumed quickly. One of the areas where plastics are used most widely today is packaging materials. The fact that it is used as a packaging material both poses a risk of transition to foodstuffs and means that it is quickly consumed after production and becomes waste.” said.
Emphasizing that the plastics we use as the main packaging material, as is known, are not very innocent, Dr. Ahmet Adiller said, “Many studies focused on microplastics and the transition of plastics to foodstuffs in recent years show that plastic packaging materials used for hygiene for many years accumulate in the human and living body with their contents and fragmentation, disrupting environmental conditions. Most of the plastic materials can also contain harmful substances such as BPA, lead, copper and cadmium. As they mix with nature, a large part of living things are exposed to them.” used the phrases.
Noting that the seas, rivers and soils are polluted with microplastics, Dr. Ahmet Adiller said, “Research shows that there are microplastics in many products, from seafood to agricultural products. Plastics, which can also have carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting properties due to the chemicals they contain, increase the risk of cancer in living things and disrupt the hormonal structure. On the other hand, these wastes, which are thrown into nature in an uncontrolled manner, mix with water and soil, causing magical pollution in the environment. The size of this pollution is so great that; There is a garbage island of 80 million square kilometers, which is more than twice the surface area of our country, formed by approximately 1,6 million tons of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean. he said.
Emphasizing that plastic products cannot be broken down as a result of metabolic activities when they enter our body, they can accumulate in tissues and organs. Ahmet Adiller said, “Considering the carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects of chemicals in some plastic products, this accumulation negatively affects the functioning of many organs and systems. Since the endocrine system has effects on many different systems, especially through hormones in our body, the accumulation of plastics in the body can cause many health problems, from skin problems to diabetes, from reproductive system disorders to digestive system diseases, considering the chemical components they contain. said.
Stating that the annual average plastic consumption per capita in Turkey was 1995 kg in 14, 1999 kg in 30, it is around 75 kg today. Ahmet Adiller said, “Because many things that were produced as metal or wood in the past can now be produced as plastic more easily and at lower cost. In addition, studies show that 1 kg of plastic per person per year enters the Mediterranean Sea. So even small changes can have big impacts.” said.
Dr. Ahmet Adiller said that first of all, the use of plastic bags should be reduced as much as possible and shopping should be made with cloth bags, and he concluded his words as follows:
“Apart from this, if any product we buy has wood or metal alternatives, we should choose it. We can prefer glass storage containers instead of the cling film, refrigerator bags or plastic storage containers we use for food storage in our homes. Many studies show that plastic packaging materials cause plastic transition into foodstuffs. In this way, we do something beneficial for both our health and nature. One of the areas where plastic packaging materials are used the most is package service products. Instead of ordering ready meals, we should either cook at home or prefer restaurants. Instead of consuming pet bottles of water, we should carry a water bottle with us. Instead of using disposable cups and plastic straws in cafes, we should prefer porcelain cups or carry a thermos and ask for our drink to be served in a thermos. Apart from these, we use many products made of plastic in our daily life, from razors to water bottles, from plastic plates to gloves, from towels to tablecloths. Almost all of these products are products with more durable and long-lasting alternatives. Choosing them instead of plastic disposable products will help reduce our plastic use drastically.”
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