Time to say ‘No’ to plastic

The whole world is witnessing a steep rise in the use of plastic today. In spite of growing awareness and bans on various plastic products, it has become extremely difficult to completely eliminate plastic from our lives. It appears that after the Ice Age and the Stone Age, we are now living in the “Plastic Age.”

Plastic was first invented by Alexander Parkes in 1860 as a semi-synthetic material. Later, Leo Baekeland often called the father of plastic, invented the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907.

Since then, plastic has become a household necessity in modern living. Today, plastic is everywhere and in everything—it is omnipresent. It has become a part of almost every object, from motor vehicles, trains, and aircraft to household utensils,

Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans. This poses a tremendous threat to the environment, to marine life, and ultimately to humans who consume contaminated seafood.

During the use of plastic items, tiny particles known as microplastics and macroplastics are released. These particles infiltrate our everyday items and enter our bodies without our knowledge.

Water bottles and food containers that we use daily release these particles, which gradually accumulate in our bodies. Since these invisible particles cannot be digested or decomposed, they may adhere to internal organs, arteries, and veins—potentially causing diseases affecting the stomach, lungs, heart, brain, and other organs.

This may be one reason why even the younger generation often without any pre-existing health conditions is increasingly experiencing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart attacks.

Some studies even suggest that the amount of plastic an average person inhales and ingests each week is roughly equal to the weight of a plastic credit card.

Today, we must wake up once again and strive to reduce the use of plastics in our daily lives, before this silent killer takes its toll.

Say no to plastic, it is now or never!

(Prof. (Dr.) S. Vijay Mohan, Former Professor & HoD, Dept. of Internal Medicine Deccan College of Medical Sciences)