Are glass bottles really more environmentally friendly than plastic bottles?

Since the Industrial Revolution, although human society has been developing at an unprecedented speed, it is precisely because of the development of science and technology that the environment has become more and more harsh. Among the series of products brought by technology, the pollution of plastic products to the environment is already the most representative one, so glass cups have been advocated instead of plastic bottles.

Are glass bottles really more environmentally friendly than plastic bottles? The result is surprising. Scientists have found that the harm of glass bottles is 4 times that of plastic bottles.

The damage of plastic bottle products to the environment is very large

In our daily life, plastic can be seen everywhere. It is precisely because plastic has a series of advantages such as strong plasticity, light weight and convenience that it has been widely used in human society and has a wide range of uses. , For example, our common making mineral bottles, plastic bags, and even the clothes we wear are made of plastic.

https://www.ygplasticmachinery.com/mineral-water-bottle-making-machine/

Therefore, it can be said that the birth of plastic material really plays an indescribable role in the entire human society, and provides a lot of convenience for human life to a great extent.

But at the same time, the harm that plastic brings to human society cannot be underestimated. The well-known academic journal “Science” released a data showing that about 8 million tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean by humans every year, and the current conservative estimate of 150 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean is quite staggering.

As we all know, plastic is difficult to decompose completely, so it is difficult to integrate plastic into nature after use, and many organisms in the ocean now have residual plastic particles in the body, and fish, whales, seals, turtles, etc. are often found in the ocean. Killed by plastic waste.

As humans are at the top of the food chain, plastics also enter our bodies indirectly through the food chain. For example, in a 2019 study, scientists found plastic particles in human feces, which means that plastic pollution has begun to affect us. Humans have made an impact.

All in all, plastic still has many problems to be faced in terms of ecology and human harm, but the latest research shows that glass is more harmful to the environment than plastic products.

Glass bottles are 4 times more dangerous than plastic bottles, study finds

The harm of glass to the environment is not reflected in the disposal, but in the production process of glass bottles and their production conditions.

First of all, the main raw material of glass is silica sand, as well as some materials such as soda ash and dolomite. Among them, silica sand needs to be realized by mining minerals. With the continuous increase in the demand for glass, the demand for these minerals is also increasing. The damage to the natural environment is also increasing, for example, the problem of soil erosion is becoming more and more serious, the river is continuously degraded, and even the personal safety of local residents is endangered.

At the same time, in the production process, it needs to be crushed continuously, which will cause dust pollution. If the mining is carried out for a long time, it will cause serious harm to the human body. For those mining workers, the risk of suffering from silicosis is very high. On silicosis, the lungs will fibrosis and cause irreversible damage, and in the advanced stage, it will develop into heart and lung failure, and finally lose life.

In addition, in the firing process of glass, a lot of coal and other fuels will be consumed, resulting in a large amount of harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

You must know that these gases will increase the greenhouse effect, and the greenhouse effect will lead to extreme weather, melting glaciers, sea level rise, land desertification, etc. These effects far exceed the pollution caused by plastic products to the earth’s environment.

resource： YG plastic processing machine manufacturer

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Most glasses contain lead and spacer?

The results showed that the presence of lead was found in 139 cases, and the presence of cadmium was found in 134 cases, and both lead and cadmium were present on the surface of the glass and sometimes on the edge of the glass. In addition, The researchers also found that in some cases lead concentrations were more than 1,000 times higher than the limit level.

In the article, the researchers detected the presence of lead and cadmium in more than 70% of the products, and they also found the highest concentration of cadmium in red enamel paint; the concentration of lead was 40-40 million ppm, and the concentration of cadmium was According to data from the US Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, the concentration limits of lead and cadmium in the contact area of ​​​​the lip of drinking glasses are 200ppm and 800ppm, respectively.

What are the hazards of heavy metals to the human body?

Heavy metal mercury: It mainly harms the nervous system and damages the brain, causing numbness in the limbs, ataxia, narrowed vision, hearing difficulties and other symptoms caused by mercury poisoning encephalopathy. In severe cases, heart failure and death. Severe poisoning may cause oral lesions, nausea, retching, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms, and may also cause damage to the skin and mucous membranes, urinary and reproductive systems. Under the action of microorganisms, methylation is more toxic.

Heavy metal cadmium: It can accumulate in the human body and cause acute and chronic poisoning. Acute poisoning can cause vomiting blood, abdominal pain, and finally death. Chronic poisoning can damage kidney function, destroy bones, cause bone pain, osteomalacia, and paralysis.

Heavy metal chromium: It is irritating and corrosive to the skin, mucous membranes, and digestive tract, causing skin congestion, erosion, ulcers, nasal perforation, and skin cancer, which can accumulate in the liver, kidney, and lung.

Metalloid arsenic: Chronic poisoning can cause skin lesions, nerve, digestive and cardiovascular system disorders, have cumulative toxic effects, and damage the metabolic system of human cells.

Heavy metal lead: It is mainly harmful to the nerves, hematopoietic system and kidneys, damages the skeletal hematopoietic system and causes anemia, cerebral hypoxia, cerebral edema, and abnormal movement and paresthesia.

In fact, nowadays people only know the harm of plastic products, and they are only reducing the use of plastic products, but they do not know that the harm of glass products is far greater than that of plastic products. The dangers are a cause for concern!