1. EARTH SCIENCE JOURNAL for KiDSKiDS More about those plastics that end up in the ocean

2. Have you ever wondered? Seems like a lot of things are called plastics, so what are plastics exactly? What is plastic used for? How much plastic is there? Why can plastics be a problem? What impact does the plastic have on wildlife? What does that have to do with me?

3. What is plastic? The term “plastic” was coined by Leo Baekeland, who discovered bakelite in 1907. Plastics are synthetic (man-made) substances that are named for their plasticity (ease with which they are shaped and molded). Often plastics are made from petro-chemicals (like the gasoline put in your car) Plastic molecules for long chains (similar to natural rubber) Nylon Water Natural rubber Sugar

4. Why is plastic used for? Plastic is used to make a variety of products – You are probably touching plastic right now without realizing it In the developed world it is 1/3 plastic is used in packaging and 1/3 in building. In the developing world 42% is used in packaging Photo credit (left): http://www.mireviewz.com/building-materials/pbm-plastic-building-materials-cardiffhttp://www.mireviewz.com/building-materials/pbm-plastic-building-materials-cardiff Photo credit (right): "Plastic household items" by ImGz - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plastic_household_items.jpg#/media/File:Plastic_household_items.jpg

5. Why is plastic beneficial? Plastics are durable, lightweight, and economical Example: Prosthetic joints need to be all these things! Photo credit: http://openwetware.org/wiki/Image:Hip_Implant_Pieces.jpg

6. How much plastic is there? Year Million tons plastic/year Location of production Figure credit (pie chart): Worldwatch Institute Figure credit (plastic production): http://www.phdintl.com/plastic-factsheet.html

7. That’s more than 100 times the weight of all the elephants in the world – EVERY YEAR! Photo credit (elephant): http://www.polyvore.com/baby_elephant_sitting_elephant-sculptures-statues_aawu75410aa/thing?id=70620966http://www.polyvore.com/baby_elephant_sitting_elephant-sculptures-statues_aawu75410aa/thing?id=70620966 Photo credit (beads): http://www.rgbstock.com/bigphoto/mif58EI/Pile+of+plastic+beads

8. How can plastics be a problem? Plastic doesn’t break down – We don’t really know, but it is assumed that a plastic bag will be around for 500-1000 years – So all that plastic has to end up somewhere, like the ocean! Plastic additives can be toxic – Example: Bisphenol-A, or BPA, was once added to plastic baby bottles because it makes clear, nearly shatter-proof bottles. However it is the poster child for human hormone disruption – In 2011 a team of scientists led by Chun Yang and George Bittner found that most plastics can act like the human hormone estrogen – Estrogen is involved in everything from bone growth to heart function – Too much or too little estrogen can lead to anything from tumors to birth defects

9. Plastic can also harm wildlife 170 species have been killed or injured by plastics 1 Estimates are incomplete but 100,000 birds and land mammals are killed each year by plastics. Estimates for sea life are harder. Google “plastic wildlife” and you will find mainly pictures of sea animals harmed by plastic. However, terrestrial animals also have some, albeit lower, risk. How can plastics be a problem? Thankfully mom got her pup free. 1 http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/12/plastic-bags-and-animals-making-the-wild-safe-for-wildlife/ Photo credit (otter): Terry McCormac at http://seaotters.com/2012/05/plastic-pollutes/http://seaotters.com/2012/05/plastic-pollutes/ Photo credit (hedgehog): http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/2014/02/the-story-of-plastic-pollution/

10. How does plastic get into the ocean? About 7% 1 of plastic is recycled in the US (imagine the rates in developing countries) “The rest” goes to landfills 1 http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/01/31/what-happens-to-all-that-plastic/ However some escapes into the environment, and into the ocean – Scientists are trying to figure out how much escapes – See: http://www.5gyres.org/tct/ Ocean currents, or gyres, keep the plastic at sea At sea, plastic breaks into smaller and smaller pieces (see picture at right) Photo credit (plastic): Ars Electronica at above website Photo credit (gyres): "Oceanic gyres" by NOAA - here, img. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oceanic_gyres.png#/media/File:Oceanic_gyres.png

11. Why don’t we see the plastic in the ocean? Trapped in the gyre, plastic breaks into smaller and smaller pieces (see picture at right) Contrary to what you may have heard, the plastic does not form a plastic island that can be seen Instead the tiny plastic pieces are suspended in the ocean We see these tiny pieces when they wash ashore, but how much is in the ocean that we don’t see? – See Eriksen et al. 2014 Photo credit: http://www.5gyres.org

12. Ocean plastic life cycle https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microplastics_impact_on_biological_communities.png#/media/File:Microplastics_i mpact_on_biological_communities.png

13. What can we do? Consume less plastic – Maybe you don’t need that thing you want to buy – Maybe there is an option with less packaging – Maybe there is an option that is biodegradable Find a good place to put your used plastic – Recycle – Make sure waste plastic does not escape into the environment

14. Discussion Weigh the pros and cons of making the following things out of plastic or something else. Can you go without that product? Photo credit (coke bottle): http://www.coca-colacompany.com/timeline-the-evolution-of-the-coca-cola-bottle/ Photo credit (fence): http://www.hooverfence.com/vinyl_fence/overview.htmhttp://www.hooverfence.com/vinyl_fence/overview.htm Photo credit (north face jacket): http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/products_design/mike_hower/north_face_use_100_recycled_polyester_fabric_2016 Photo credit (bag): http://inhabitat.com/toronto-becomes-the-latest-city-to-ban-plastic-bags/ Photo credit (electronics): http://glrnow.com/computers-electronics/ Photo credit (car): http://www.ford.com/new-cars/ Photo credit (medical glove): http://guide.alibaba.com/shopping-guides/medical-gloves-free-shipping.html

15. Jeopardy Nylon, polyester, PVC, and polystyrene are all forms of What are plastics?

16. Jeopardy In this year, the term plastics were discovered by Leo Baekeland What is 1907 ? 100 years ago you would have had a hard time finding plastic but now it is everywhere!!

17. Jeopardy This plastic additive was banned from baby bottles in Europe and Canada What is BPA?

18. Jeopardy This country produces the most plastic What is China?

19. Jeopardy (bonus question) The weight of plastic produced each year What is 200 million tons?