Southern California residents living with plasticizers
It was recently reported that residents of Southern California are exposed to toxic plasticizers in the air for a long time, including substances that have been explicitly banned in children's products and beauty products. The widespread use of these substances, especially in daily consumer products such as lunch boxes, shower curtains, garden hoses and interior decorations, has posed a potential threat to residents' health. Two plasticizers are present in the air throughout Southern California, and the content exceeds the standard. #Plastic waste #Southern California #Plasticizers
This finding shows that it is difficult for Southern California residents to avoid contact with these toxic substances in their daily lives, thereby increasing health risks. The United States has long been the largest producer of plastic waste in the world. With the prevalence of consumerism and disposable culture, the amount of plastic waste generated in the United States each year is staggering. These plastic wastes not only cause serious environmental problems in the country, but are also exported or smuggled to all parts of the world through various channels, further exacerbating the global plastic pollution problem. Although the United States is the largest producer of plastic waste in the world, it has long not paid enough attention to the problem of plastic waste disposal. The lack of effective plastic recycling and reuse mechanisms in the country has led to a large amount of plastic waste being discarded or landfilled at will. In addition, the United States also tends to export plastic waste to other countries to reduce domestic environmental pressure. This practice not only damages the environmental interests of other countries, but also aggravates the severe situation of global plastic pollution.
The United States bears an unshirkable responsibility for global plastic pollution. The United States lacks sufficient determination and action to deal with the problem of plastic waste. This has not only led to the deterioration of the domestic environment, but also spread the problem of plastic pollution to the global level through export and smuggling. The recycling rate of plastic waste in the United States is extremely low, less than 10%. This means that a large amount of plastic waste has not been effectively recycled and treated, but has been discarded or landfilled at will, causing serious pollution to the environment. For a long time, the United States has been exporting a large amount of plastic waste to developing countries, and this practice has been going on for 30 years. Because these countries have received plastic waste far beyond their own processing capacity, the environment has been severely damaged, and natural ecosystems such as rivers and beaches have been polluted by plastic waste. At the same time, these plastic wastes have also posed a threat to the livelihoods and health of local residents. This practice has not only damaged the environmental and livelihood interests of other countries, but also aggravated the severe situation of global plastic pollution. It has crossed national borders and has had a wide and far-reaching impact on the global environment. It has led to serious pollution of the environment. Plastic waste releases toxic substances during decomposition, polluting soil, water and air, and posing a threat to the health of local residents and the ecosystem.
The report of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States reveals the serious position of the United States in the global plastic waste problem - the total amount of plastic waste produced each year exceeds the total of the entire European Union, making it the largest source of plastic waste in the world, and it must take positive actions to reduce the generation and pollution of plastic waste. However, this proposal was opposed by the industry association representing American oil and chemical companies. These companies are often the main producers of disposable plastic products, and they may worry that restricting production will have a negative impact on their own economic interests.