Learn more about non biodegradable (cannot rot) substances how they are distributed to the environment and how to reduce the disposal of these land pollution.

Introduction:

Synthetic polymers are man-made polymers produced by chemical reactions. Polymers contain long repeating chains of atoms that can either be naturally occurring in nature or synthetic.

Natural polymers examples include silk, rubber, DNA, cellulose, proteins, and wool, while synthetic polymers examples include plastics like nylon, polyurethane, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and Teflon. Each type of polymer has different properties. However, most synthetic polymers have the same properties and characteristics of being strong, durable, lightweight, and inexpensive to produce.

Many synthetic polymers are used in common essential applications. For instance, Teflon is commonly used in cookware while PVC is commonly used in electrical insulation and cabling.

A monomer is the first building block of polymers. Monomers are small molecules that can join with other similar molecules. Once they form into a large molecule with repeating chains of atoms, they then become classified as a polymer. Therefore, monomers are the small repeating units that make up polymers. Oosterhuis F, Papyrakis E, 2014.

A polymer is a compound made up of many monomers, or small repeating units, bonded together to form a chain of atoms. Polymers usually consist of thousands of monomers joined together. When polymers are this large, they can be referred to as macromolecules.

SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

Synthetic polymers mainly obtained from petroleum are a major environmental concern. The drilling of petroleum can cause major disruptions to wild lands and habitats, along with potential pollution (such as leakage of toxic substances) from active wells and processing plants. Many polymers consist of various other chemical substances such as stabilizers and flame-retardant to enhance the polymer life and properties.

Gyration methods The requirement of solvents to process fibers can be environmentally hazardous. It can be argued that the mass-producing features and fast processing of polymeric solutions into fibers can make this the more environmentally advantageous method.

Electrospinning. The use of very high voltages, along with potentially hazardous solvents can be highly dangerous, unless the correct safety precautions are followed.

These additives may be released during disposal to contaminate soil, water, air, and food.

Hydrocarbons such as paint thinner consist of a “carbon skeleton” in the molecules. Oxygenated solvents, such as esters and alcohols, are manufactured via chemical reactions from oil or natural gases. Halogenated solvents consist of halogens such as chlorine. With the exception of solvents, which are fermented alcohols, non-aqueous solvents are produced from fossil fuel sources such as oil and gas.

The extraction of these nonrenewable sources has environmental concerns similar to drilling petroleum.

When we burn plastic which is made from polymers, it creates pollution producing carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. Also, plastics are non-biodegradable and landfills are used to bury the plastic which takes up space and also costs money because there is no enough room for all the waste. Therefore, plastics are banned in some area and this cause air pollution.

Chloroform is commonly used to dissolve polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) to produce polymeric nanofiber via methods such as electrospinning. Therefore, the primary organ which can be affected is the liver in humans which leads to necrosis from exposure. It also affects the kidneys causing tubular necrosis and swelling of the organs, subsequently leading to the growth of tumors in these organs.

polyelectrolytes (solutions), regardless of the presence of salt, utilizes toxic solvents that are harmful to the environment in the spinning process. The method requires vaporization of the solvent to result in polymeric fibers, where the solvent vapor can cause harm, unless a nonhazardous solvent is utilized in the process. Rochman C.M, 2013.

When these materials made from synthetic polymers are exposed to the environment like plastics they cause Land pollution as they do not decay however, if they are burnt they produce air pollution producing CFCs chlorofluorocarbons, breaking the ozone layer, sulfur dioxide leading to health problems.

HOW TO REDUCE THESE UNDERLINED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED AS THE RESULT OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS.

According to Bonelike S, in the year 2007 underlined that;

The most effective way to reduce the production of polymers is to recycle the polymeric materials, in which the polymers are reheated and reshaped after mixed plastic waste is sorted and cleaned. Nowadays, the recycling of polymers is more advanced and quick. The waste or used polymers are repurposed in the form of recycled polymer products. The recycling of plastics has overcome the waste and energy management issues and also the usage of other energy resources.

After efficient production, reducing the consumption of wasteful products is beneficial, but sometimes hard to achieve due to food safety and lack of convenience. Nonetheless, avoiding unnecessary packaging choosing eco-friendlier alternatives is still possible. Increasing awareness on environmental impacts of consumer choices through formal (i.e., in schools) or informal (e.g., news, clean-ups) education is a long-term strategy to reduce consumption of plastics, for instance, leading to the choice of microbeads-free alternatives, which could be aided by reliable labelling.

Misuse and mismanagement of durable plastics has led to large accumulations of this material in the environment (plastic pollution), posing a risk to organisms, ecosystems, and human health. The life-cycle of plastics must be improved through an integrated waste management system, reducing their environmental impacts. Thus, plastic production and consumption must decline by improving design or using alternatives materials (reduce) and creating durable products (reuse). Nonetheless, societies will produce waste. If improvements are made at the production stage, most plastic waste can be recycled, partially substituting virgin plastics in new products.

Therefore, plastics that cannot be recycled can be recovered to produce chemical components and energy. Only the waste produced by these activities should be landfilled.