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| http://www.treehugger.com/clean-water/3-companies-commit-removing-plastic-beads-their-body-products.html |
In the article Scientists Turn Their Gaze Toward Tiny Threats to Great Lakes from The New York Times, John Schwartz talks about how tiny pieces of plastic can effect our environment and us.
Everyday millions of people get ready for their day by using different toiletries like face washes or toothpaste. What we don't know is that minute plastic beads are going through water treatment plants and into the Great Lakes. Fish and other aquatic animals eat them. Some fish may mistake them for fish food. The fish don't just eat the beads, but also the other pollutants on them.
Plastic becomes covered in cancer-causing chemicals like PCBs. This is a concern because if people drink this water or consume any aquatic animals, they could also be drinking PCBs.
Companies like Johnson and Johnson have decided to use natural alternatives instead of beads in their products. Johnson and Johnson stated "Our goal is to give consumers peace of mind that our products are gentle on people and gentle on the environment." Their goal is to make their products safe for humans and the fish that live throughout these Great Lakes.
Doctor Mason, an environmental chemist at the New York State University, collected over 100 samples to look for beads and other debris. She found from her samples that beads make up more than 60% of the samples.
Other scientists still believe this could link back to humans. Millions of pounds of fish are caught from Great Lakes yearly. They have found beads in the fish they catch, which means those poisons from the beads could end up in the body of the consumer.
When reading this article it reminded me about when my biology class learned about how fertilizers pollute waterways. When it polluted the water it also hurt many fish. I can also connect this to my own life experiences. In the summer I go to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. In some parts of the lake you can see how polluted it is. Sometimes you can even see dead fish floating around.
My opinion on this topic is that it must be fixed. I agree with the Johnson and Johnson companies decision to change their products to natural substances. This change to their products could save the aquatic life from PCBs. I also think this pollution needs to be fixed for human health. It stated in the article that millions of pounds of fish are caught from Great Lakes. If we are eating there fish it could cause us to get the PCBs and get very sick.
Great Job! First of all your title stood out to me and it made me want to read what you wrote about. Your article is very detailed and has a lot of good information.I also liked the conection you made to in class about when we learned about fertilizers polluting the waters. This aslo reminded me of when we watched the lorax and how the Thneed company pollutedthe air and the waters. Soon all of the animals in those habitats had to find a new place to live and had to leave their home and practically start over. I never realized that plastic bead were going into the ocean and they can cause cancer. Now i am going to be more aware of this. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteGood job! Your picture really caught my eye and attracted me to this article. One of the connections you made that I thought was really smart was how you talked about the people consuming the fish being affected too. Instead of just the fish being affected, you talked about how the other organisms in the environment could be affected too. Also, this talks about the same information as the Environmental Tackle-box video that we watched, so that was also a good connection. Your article raises awareness to a problem that most people (including me) did not really know about before. Also, it was really great how you talked about the solutions to the problem instead of just the problem itself. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post, Shaylyn! You chose to write about a topic that not many people know much about, which makes it more interesting. I never realized pollutants in the water could affect humans as well as fish! I like how you related your topic to how you go to New Hampshire every summer, and that the lake there is polluted, because that helped make the post more relatable. I think it is great how scientists discovered this and are trying to find solutions, because this issue could decrease the population of animals that eat fish, including humans. The title was interesting and engaged me in your post right away. Overall this was a well-written blog post that brought a terrible problem to light. Outstanding job!
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ReplyDeleteI thought you did a really good job summarizing the article in an easy to understand, yet detailed way. I agree with you and companies like Johnson and Johnson that we should look for more environmentally friendly and healthier alternatives to these beads. I had no idea that such small beads could create such big problems for humans as well as the environment. I liked your connections to what we learned in class as well as your personal connection to Lake Winnipesaukee. Overall, great job!
Great job! Your post had a great title that made me want to read more. Your article was very detailed and gave a lot of good examples. It was interesting how you said how plastic beads can effect humans and aquatic animals. Next, your connection to biology class was really good because you made a direct connection to how fertilizers polluting water is just like plastic beads polluting water. Your article was very interesting and I enjoyed it!
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