World Environment Day 2018: a call to “Beat plastic pollution”

4 June 2018 – On 5 June every year, the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations sister agencies and thousands of communities and organizations celebrate World Environment Day. This year, the theme of the Day is “Beat plastic pollution” – a call for action for the world to work together to address one of the great environmental challenges of our time and raise global awareness of the need to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on people’s health and the threat it poses to the environment and wildlife.  While the world has derived great benefit from the use of plastics, which have transformed people’s everyday lives, the negative ecological effects and adverse impact on health from their misuse and overuse cannot be overlooked. Plastic remains in the environment for a long time, it cannot biodegrade, only break down into smaller and smaller pieces.  When plastics decompose they release chemicals that are hazardous to health, the environment and wildlife. Some of the chemicals released when plastic-containing waste is burned are carcinogenic, such as dioxin – the common name for a group of toxic chemicals. Dioxin is toxic to humans and when inhaled through exposure to fumes can accumulate in the human body and be transmitted from mothers to babies via the placenta. Dioxin attached to dust also falls onto waterways and crops. Plastic accounts for about 10% of all Read more...
Source: WHO EMRO News - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news