marine life by choking life forms and are called “Ghost Nets.” The process by which
all kinds of marine creatures are being caught in them is known as “Ghost Fishing”
(Stelfox et al. 2016). On the basis of food requirement, plastic waste in the oceans
also terrorizes the life of birds, which depend on the oceanic life for their food need.
These birds mostly suffer because of ingestion of plastic and suffocation. They are
tricked by the beautiful colors of plastic debris. Sometimes they get caught in the
debris and die due to suffocation: 44% of all sea bird species, sea turtle, and
cetaceans have plastic junk inside or outside of their body. Plastic pollution in the
marine also affects human life in other ways. Consumption of marine food, for
example, fish, by people in turn affects their health, because ingestion of plastics by
fish ultimately enters into the human body. During the fishing activities, there is high
chance that fishes infected by such toxic matter might get their route into our daily
chores to create health issues to the end consumers. A study reveals that toxic matter
present in plastics creates severe health issues such as cancers, problem in immune
system, and birth defects (Thompson and Napper 2019; Millet et al. 2018).
B. Plasticsin fresh water
Due to various environmental factors, plastics enter into the environment and persist
with degradation and fragmentation to smaller particles. These microplastics and
nanoplastics having larger surface area are likely to have a higher environmental
risk. They are highly sensitive to adsorb organic pollutants and pathogens (Strungaru
et al. 2019; Wang and Wang 2018; Blettler et al. 2018). Rivers receive important
loads of litter by visitors and terrestrial runoff, but the particular sources of river in
litter have not been identified. Presence of plasticcontaminants in fish of freshwater
and its impacts on aquatic life and human beings are interlinked (Pinheiro et al.
2017). In ecosystems, plastics can have harmful effect for the local fauna. Nano- or
microplastics are generally ingested by fish. It is believed that ingestion of plastics in
fish is more often intentional, because they are attracted by their beautiful appearance
in water. Sometimes accidently plastics may be ingested with their food (Peters and
Bratton 2016; Lonnstedt and Eklov 2016). Even more concern is that microplastics
are present in drinking water, in beer, food. Recent studies also reveal that water
contamination by microplastics mainly comes from high consumption of bottled
water (Ward et al. 2009; Oslon 1999; Raj 2005; Jain et al. 2019).
4.5 Impact of Plastics Present in Water
There is a noticeable correlation between the presence of plastic matter in the blood
and certain health problems. These health problems incorporate reproductive abnormalities, cancer, early puberty, obesity, blood pressure, etc.
Our drinking water supply is highly contaminated with small particles of plastics.
Those who are victims of plastic contamination have surely faced certain severe
health problems. Nanoplastics highly affect the photosynthesis process of green
algae. Ultimately, they affect the complete food chain. They harm aquatic life,
4 Plastics and e-Waste, a Threat to Water Systems
125
all kinds of marine creatures are being caught in them is known as “Ghost Fishing”
(Stelfox et al. 2016). On the basis of food requirement, plastic waste in the oceans
also terrorizes the life of birds, which depend on the oceanic life for their food need.
These birds mostly suffer because of ingestion of plastic and suffocation. They are
tricked by the beautiful colors of plastic debris. Sometimes they get caught in the
debris and die due to suffocation: 44% of all sea bird species, sea turtle, and
cetaceans have plastic junk inside or outside of their body. Plastic pollution in the
marine also affects human life in other ways. Consumption of marine food, for
example, fish, by people in turn affects their health, because ingestion of plastics by
fish ultimately enters into the human body. During the fishing activities, there is high
chance that fishes infected by such toxic matter might get their route into our daily
chores to create health issues to the end consumers. A study reveals that toxic matter
present in plastics creates severe health issues such as cancers, problem in immune
system, and birth defects (Thompson and Napper 2019; Millet et al. 2018).
B. Plasticsin fresh water
Due to various environmental factors, plastics enter into the environment and persist
with degradation and fragmentation to smaller particles. These microplastics and
nanoplastics having larger surface area are likely to have a higher environmental
risk. They are highly sensitive to adsorb organic pollutants and pathogens (Strungaru
et al. 2019; Wang and Wang 2018; Blettler et al. 2018). Rivers receive important
loads of litter by visitors and terrestrial runoff, but the particular sources of river in
litter have not been identified. Presence of plasticcontaminants in fish of freshwater
and its impacts on aquatic life and human beings are interlinked (Pinheiro et al.
2017). In ecosystems, plastics can have harmful effect for the local fauna. Nano- or
microplastics are generally ingested by fish. It is believed that ingestion of plastics in
fish is more often intentional, because they are attracted by their beautiful appearance
in water. Sometimes accidently plastics may be ingested with their food (Peters and
Bratton 2016; Lonnstedt and Eklov 2016). Even more concern is that microplastics
are present in drinking water, in beer, food. Recent studies also reveal that water
contamination by microplastics mainly comes from high consumption of bottled
water (Ward et al. 2009; Oslon 1999; Raj 2005; Jain et al. 2019).
4.5 Impact of Plastics Present in Water
There is a noticeable correlation between the presence of plastic matter in the blood
and certain health problems. These health problems incorporate reproductive abnormalities, cancer, early puberty, obesity, blood pressure, etc.
Our drinking water supply is highly contaminated with small particles of plastics.
Those who are victims of plastic contamination have surely faced certain severe
health problems. Nanoplastics highly affect the photosynthesis process of green
algae. Ultimately, they affect the complete food chain. They harm aquatic life,
4 Plastics and e-Waste, a Threat to Water Systems
125