Abstract
Since 1950 to 2018, about 6.3 billion tonnes of plastics have been produced worldwide, 9% and 12% of which have been recycled and incinerated, respectively. Human population increase and consistent demand for plastics and plastic products are responsible for continuous increase in the production of plastics, generation of plastic waste and its accompanied environmental pollution. We have reviewed in this paper, the most relevant literatures on the different types of plastics in production, the hazardous chemical constituents, prevailing disposal methods and the detrimental effects of these constituents to air, water, soil, organisms and human health viz-a-viz the different disposal methods. Papers that reported environmental and public health effects of plastic constituents but not plastics directly were also reviewed. Varieties of plastics used in the production of many consumable products including medical devices, food packaging and water bottles contain toxic chemicals like phthalates, heavy metals, bisphenol A. brominated flame retardants, nonylphenol, polychlorinated biphenylethers, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, phenanthrene etc.
Highlights
Plastics are made up of synthetic organic polymers which are widely used in different applications ranging from water bottles, clothing, food packaging, medical supplies, electronic goods, construction materials, etc [1]
We have reviewed in this paper, the most relevant literatures on the different types of plastics in production, the hazardous chemical constituents, prevailing disposal methods and the detrimental effects of these constituents to air, water, soil, organisms and human health viz-a-viz the different disposal methods
We believed that the problem of plastic waste generation and the accompanied environmental and public health effects can be handled if globally, manufacturers can embrace the use of bioplastics
Summary
Plastics are made up of synthetic organic polymers which are widely used in different applications ranging from water bottles, clothing, food packaging, medical supplies, electronic goods, construction materials, etc [1]. In many instances, sheeting and packaging plastics are disposed of after usage, because of their durability, such plastics are located everywhere and persistent in the environment. Plastics have several toxic constituents among which are phthalates, poly-fluorinated chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA), brominated flame retardants and Citation: Alabi OA, Ologbonjaye KI, Awosolu O, Alalade OE (2019) Public and Environmental Health Effects of Plastic Wastes Disposal: A Review. Plastics in electronic waste (e-waste) have become a serious global environmental and public health concern due to its large production volume and the presence of inadequate management policies in several countries. Reports from China, Nigeria, and India indicated that plastic hazardous substances from e-wastes can migrate beyond the processing sites and into the environment [9,10,11]
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