Reduce Use of Plastics, Waste Can Endanger Health

The Danger of Plastic Waste for Health - It is undeniable that plastic is needed in everyday life. But the impact has the potential to endanger health, both the health of the environment and the health of the body of living things.

Director of Environmental Health, Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) dr. Imran Agus Nurali, Sp. KO said there was a dangerous impact of plastic waste on the environment or health of the body.

According to him, plastic is an element that is difficult to decompose which triggers landfill, clogging waterways, and floods that pollute the environment.

"Plastics will affect the health of the human body if buried in the soil or water, then the fragments of plastic waste have the potential to endanger human health if the water is consumed," said Dr. Imran in the release received by Suara.com on Wednesday (1/16/2019).

Not only that, other dangerous impacts will also be felt in plants on land and water biota. For example, he added, the microplastic contained in water can enter into the body's organs of fish and so it is dangerous if consumed by humans.

"Then if microplastic exposed to the sun's heat or burning it is also dangerous for breathing. If it is burned, it can produce carbon monoxide which is a danger to health," continued Dr. Imran.

Unfortunately, there has been no study of the threshold of microplastic content which can endanger the health of living things. However, the community is urged to reduce the use of plastic.

"Actually, it is more important if we can limit the use of plastic such as in retail or warung-watrung. If it can be limited, we use our own shopping bags so we don't add plastic production, "he said.

Reducing plastic use can be started from households through waste management. The method, he said, could be by grouping organic and non-organic waste.

Organic waste can be used as compost, while non-organic waste can be recycled into works of art and even works of economic value.

Limiting the use of plastic can also be done by getting used to bring your own bottle. This was done by the Indonesian Minister of Health, Nila Moeloek, and on several occasions he invited the public to be accustomed to using their own drinking bottles to reduce waste water packaging.