18/06/2025
While leafing through the 'Pragmaticus' from 25 June, we came across this statement:
"𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 (𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀."
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 - 𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤?
° 𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒚 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆:
accumulate high levels of mercury. Even small amounts of mercury – may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life. Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.
° 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔:
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can enter the food chain also through fish. Exposure to nano- and microplastics in humans potentially leads to serious health issues,
including various cancers, respiratory disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease.
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 ?
> 𝑩𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆-𝑼𝒔𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔:
Bangladesh: One of the earliest countries to ban plastic bags.
France: Banned single-use plastic plates and cups, along with plastic bags.
Italy: Banned plastic bags in stores.
United Kingdom: Imposed a charge on plastic bags and is aiming to reduce plastic use significantly.
>Complete Plastic Bag Ban:
Kenya: Has one of the strictest plastic bag bans, imposing heavy fines for production and use.
Rwanda: Implemented a ban on plastic bags and is known for its clean environment.
>Plastic Straw and Cutlery Bans:
California (USA): Many cities and regions have enacted bans on plastic straws and utensils.
New Zealand: Banned single-use plastic straws and stirrers.
>Comprehensive Plastic Waste Management:
Germany: Has implemented strict recycling laws and encourages the reduction of plastic waste.
Norway: Implements a high plastic bottle deposit system to encourage recycling.
> 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒔:
Environmental Concerns: Plastic pollution affects wildlife, oceans, and landscapes.
Health Risks: Microplastics can enter food and water supplies, posing health risks.
Sustainability Goals: Many governments are aiming for sustainability and reducing carbon footprints.
Conclusion
The push against plastic use in various countries reflects a growing global awareness of environmental issues. Many regions are adopting alternative materials and promoting reusable options to combat the plastic crisis.
- *** 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 *** :
>mercury
quicksilver, heavy metallic element known for its fluidity at average temperatures,
element used in thermometers and barometers to measure temperature (Chemistry)
>plastic
group of polymer substances, material derived from petroleum that is easily shaped and molded when heated;
>Global production and waste:
The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with 1-2 million tonnes entering the oceans each year.
>Microplastics
are "synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water." They enter natural ecosystems from a variety of sources, including cosmetics, clothing, construction, renovation, food packaging, and industrial processes.
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BTW.
- Ocean / Microplastics
° 20 years - that's how long it takes for a plastic bag to completely decompose in the ocean. The situation is even more drastic with PET bottles:
𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 450 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨.
Dealing with waste is one of the most important environmental issues worldwide - and plastic waste, which is difficult or impossible to break down, is playing an increasingly central role.
