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Plastic Bottle Hazards

Plastic bottles are a major feature of the contemporary consumer landscape. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2009 alone the U.S. generated 30 millions tons of plastic waste, of which the largest category was packaging and containers, such as plastic bottles. Not only does the volume of plastic used and disposed of present hazards to the environment, but plastic bottles also contain chemicals that can be harmful to human health.

  1. Waste and Recycling

    • Plastic bottles generate a huge amount of waste. The Environmental Protection Agency cites that, of the millions of tons of plastic bottles manufactured in the U.S. in 2007, only 23.1 percent were recycled. When plastic bottles enter landfills they leach harmful chemicals into the ground and contaminate soil and waterways. This contamination poses risks to agriculture, as well as plant and animal life.

    Chemical Hazards

    • Although the Environmental Protection Agency has guidelines for burning plastic, plastic bottles are regularly incinerated, which releases carcinogenic fumes into the air. Also, clear plastic bottles are commonly manufactured with the compound bispehnol A, or BPA, which can contaminate the drinking liquids contained inside. An on-going study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns that exposure to BPA from plastic bottles brings harms to the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and young children. In 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. In both Canada and the European Union, health concerns have led to the substance being banned from baby bottles.

    Wasted Resources

    • The manufacture of plastic bottles consumes both energy and precious resources. The most common substance in plastic bottles is polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a fossil fuel derived from crude oil. The World Climate Institute estimates that to meet the American consumer demand for plastic water bottles alone requires 17 million barrels of oil annually. Additionally, plastic bottles make up a large percentage of consumer products shipped overseas, a process that is also highly energy intensive.

    Global Warming

    • One of the chief hazards of plastic bottles is their role in contributing to global warming. As plastic bottles are made of fossil fuels, their production results in greenhouse gas emissions, the main culprit in man-made global warming. Factories producing plastic bottles also release other harmful chemicals into the air, which can return to the earth in the form of acid rain, poisoning fields and waterways.

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