Risks Associated with the Presence of Polyvinyl Chloride in the Environment and Methods for Its Disposal and Utilization.
Materials (Basel)
; 17(1)2023 Dec 28.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38204025
ABSTRACT
Plastics have recently become an indispensable part of everyone's daily life due to their versatility, durability, light weight, and low production costs. The increasing production and use of plastics poses great environmental problems due to their incomplete utilization, a very long period of biodegradation, and a negative impact on living organisms. Decomposing plastics lead to the formation of microplastics, which accumulate in the environment and living organisms, becoming part of the food chain. The contamination of soils and water with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) seriously threatens ecosystems around the world. Their durability and low weight make microplastic particles easily transported through water or air, ending up in the soil. Thus, the problem of microplastic pollution affects the entire ecosystem. Since microplastics are commonly found in both drinking and bottled water, humans are also exposed to their harmful effects. Because of existing risks associated with the PVC microplastic contamination of the ecosystem, intensive research is underway to develop methods to clean and remove it from the environment. The pollution of the environment with plastic, and especially microplastic, results in the reduction of both water and soil resources used for agricultural and utility purposes. This review provides an overview of PVC's environmental impact and its disposal options.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Materials (Basel)
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Poland
Country of publication:
Switzerland