My AP Biology Thoughts  

Unit #: 8- Disruptions to Ecosystems

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Jaiden: Welcome to My AP Biology Thoughts podcast, our names are Jaiden, Adam, and Reena and we are your hosts for this episode called Unit 8, Human Stupidity and Single Use Plastics. Today we will be discussing how single use plastics cause disruptions to the ecosystem and how it relates to the AP Biology Curriculum. 

The Podcast will be broken up into three segments. The first segment will show the general overview of single-use plastics and the second segment will show how these plastics impact the environment and why it relates to the AP Biology Curriculum. Finally, segment three will discuss how we can contribute and reduce single use plastics.

Segment 1: Overview of Topic

• Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated 35.7 million tons of plastic in the United States. 
• Single use plastics are plastics that are used for a brief period of time, before they are thrown away. These include plastic straws, spoons, bottles, and bags
• Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic debris. They are generally about five millimeters, or approximately the diameter  an eraser on a #2 pencils,  in length to be considered microplastics

Segment 2: Just how much harm is plastic causing 

• Some plastics such as Chlorinated plastics is harmful for the soil around it along with water sources making it harder for organisms to grow
• It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. However, the plastic does not degrade completely but instead becomes microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
• An estimated 13 million plastic tons are thrown into the ocean each 
• These small plastic particles may harm our health once they have entered our bodies. Plastic products contain chemical additives. A number of these chemicals have been associated with serious health problems such as hormone-related cancers, infertility and neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and autism.
• There are now 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces, weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. This is because every day, around 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into our oceans.
• Unlike some other kinds of waste, plastic doesn't decompose. That means plastic can stick around indefinitely, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Some plastics float once they enter the ocean, though...