Plastic and the Food ChainPlastic Accumulates in Rivers， Oceans， Fish， and Us作者：Sara E LewisSep 10， 2007 Plastic is man-made -- not easily broken down or reabsorbed by the Clean-ups， consumer awareness， and alternative materials are News about plastic compounds in pet foods and toothpaste from China caught headlines in Afterwards， the USDA and FDA reported that they are investigating and testing a variety of imported food Officials assured the public that， “The inspections are a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of products entering at US ports of There is no evidence to suggest products bound for the human food supply are ”But the truth is that recent worries about plastics are the tip of the Researchers have been concerned for some time about chemical compounds that make up plastic materials getting into the food Plastic is the word we use to describe the many types of man-made or synthetic materials that become toys， containers， and History of PlasticSince the 1960s， plastics have become Many useful products that save time， reduce accidental injury， and improve quality of life are made from At the same time， there is no known organism that breaks down plastic in the environment， so every bit of plastic that has ever been made is very likely to be still with Estimates of how long it will take plastics to be reabsorbed by the environment range from 400 years to a much longer unit of geologic History of Concern about Plastic in the EnvironmentBy the 1980s， people worldwide began to notice the mess of plastic that was washing up on beaches and the harm it was doing to birds and animals that became tangled in fishing line and 6-pack Initiatives like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clean the Bay Day program were organized to clean up debris on the While many participants saw such events as tidying up exercises， organizers have understood that they are also important initiatives aimed at keeping some plastic out of the food According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation， “shoreline litter is not just a public eyesore， it is harmful to wildlife， a source of toxic water pollution， and symptomatic of other， less visible forms of pollution entering local ”In England， University of Plymouth marine biologist Richard Thompson has combed the beaches since the 1980s and discovered dead birds with so many small pieces of plastic in their stomachs， probably scooped up mistakenely for food， that they likely died from starvation or blockage of the Ten years ago， Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation， on a trip across the Pacific Ocean after a sailing race， saw a patch of floating plastic debris in the North Pacific G This area of slow swirling current is said to be the size of the state of T There are several such gyres where plastic floats around and around and is swept in and out by currents and All the while， the mixed debris of such things as plastic bags， bottles， buckets， and toys is eroding into smaller and smaller Both scientists and others have trawled to collect water samples and sort the debris to determine how many of the small particles in oceans and rivers are One-third and more of the samples contain tiny plastic pieces of the sort that birds and fish often see as their These researchers have found tiny particles of plastic embedded in the tissue of dead Plastics， Eating Fish， and Your Health Captain Moore said， “The base of the food chain is being displaced by a non-digestible， non-nutritive component which is actually outweighing and outnumbering the natural That is our core ”As the persistence of plastics in the environment becomes better understood， consumers are questioning the safety of eating The Mayo Clinic answers that， “As good as fish are for your health， be aware of potential Some types of fish may contain significant amounts of contaminants， such as mercury， polychlorinated biphenyls， dioxins or other chemical Fish acquire these toxins from pollutants in lakes， rivers and ”More research is needed to determine the ultimate consequence to humans of the accumulation of plastic that can concentrate toxic But Neil Seldman of the Institute for Local Self Reliance has said that plastic is a bigger danger than global warming because it is killing the lowest common denominator in the food The problem can only be eased when greater public awareness results in less use of Manufacturers who acknowledge the problem are looking into ways to create degradable What You Can Do to Reduce Plastic in the EnvironmentIn the meantime， the most effective way to limit the amount of plastic entering the food chain is beach Also， consumers can look for alternative materials and avoid excessive use of single-use plastic bottles， containers， and Finally， by recycling， we can extend the useful life of plastic ((Permission to republish Plastic and the Food Chain in print or online must be granted by the author in ))
有关对使用塑料袋的建议的英语作文如下：Plastic bag， as a main source of pollution， is now widely used in the shopping mall， and can be seen dumped everywhere。 塑料袋，主要的污染源，在商场广泛的使用，到处丢的都是。Plastic bag hardly decomposes， therefore， it may pollute the environment， and even kills animals。 塑料袋难降解，因此，会污染环境，甚至害死动物。White pollution may jeopardize the image of China， so the chinese government should ban the use of plastic bags by means of legislation。and instead， encourage the use of degradable sacks。白色污染会危害中国的形象，所以中国政府应该立法禁止用这种塑料袋，鼓励使用可降解袋子。塑料带对环境的危害：1、第一，影响农业发展。废塑料制品混在土壤中不断累积，会影响农作物吸收养分和水分，导致农作物减产。2、第二，对动物生存构成威胁。抛弃在陆地上或水体中的废塑料制品，被动物当作食物吞入，导致动物死亡。3、第三，废塑料随垃圾填埋不仅会占用大量土地，而且被占用的土地长期得不到恢复，影响土地的可持续利用。4、第四，用餐时使用塑料袋危害大，有些塑料袋是用回收材料制作的，此种塑料袋用做餐具是十分有害的。
