I’d like to continue researching the effects on plastic in the environment. Last semester, I spent time in the field researching types of waste found in local waterways. Most samples collected were single-use plastics. Research has shown certain plastics can leach chemicals which can pass to animals and humans alike. An experiment was conducted on the effects of BPA in laboratory animals and found evidence that BPA affected reproduction in lab animals. Several other experiments have been done with BPA and its effect on brain development, cardiovascular problems, and body weight issues.
BPA
is still used today in several consumer products including food packages, lining
of cans and water bottles. In past research, I’ve found single-use plastics and
cans littered throughout the Tres Rios. The chemical leaching of these products
poses a threat to the ecosystem and food web. UV radiation increases the rate
at which these products leach chemicals and break down into smaller
microplastics. More research is required to determine how detrimental these
chemicals are/will be on animals and humans.
I
plan to research this topic through peer reviewed articles and testing/experiments
conducted on laboratory animals. I anticipate finding a lot of research on the effects
of chemical leaching products and how it impacts animals and humans.
Research Question: How do
single-use plastics effect the environment?
Hypothesis: Single-use plastics
leach chemicals contaminating the ecosystem and polluting the food web.
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