Bottled water is not only illadvised for its water quality but also for the PET bottles it is packaged in and shipped from hundreds of thousands of miles accross the globe to reach us. This hurts the environment in every possible way. The carbon burnt as fuel, The amount of garbage that such ships litter the oceans with but above all its PET Plastic bottle that is not bio degradable. Trashed at beaches world wide and dumped in the ocean in coastal cities, this PET bottle wrecks havoc to the environment.

As humans we have responsibilities not only towards ourselves, our immediate families but also to the overall environment… to the Earth. It is our home. Environmentalists and concerned citizens accross the globe are raising their voices against the extensive use of PET Bottled water. This is with all the more reason because things such as water purifiers and water ionizers are available as a much healthier and environmentally freindly alternatives.

A Dying Ocean

California-based sea captain and ocean researcher Charles Moore discovered what is now known as the Eastern Garbage Patch—an aggregation of plastic and other marine debris occupying some 700,000 square kilometers in the North Pacific Ocean—during a crossing of the North Pacific in 1997. In a 2003 article inNatural History Magazine, Moore reported being astounded that he couldn’t be further from land anywhere on Earth yet he could see plastic bags and other debris coating the ocean’s surface as far as the eye could see.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Eastern Garbage Patch or the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135° to 155°W and35° to 42°N estimated to be twice the size of Texas. The patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of suspended plastic and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.

The area is frequently featured in media reports as an exceptional example of marine pollution.

Formation

Like other areas of concentrated marine debris in the world’s oceans, the Eastern Garbage Patch has formed gradually over time as a result of marine pollution gathered by the action of oceanic currents.The rotational pattern created by the North Pacific Gyre draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean, including the coastal waters off North America and Japan. As material is captured in the currents, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region.

The Size

The size of the affected region is unknown, but estimates range from 700,000 km² to more than 15 million km², (0.41% to 8.1% of the size of the Pacific Ocean). The area may contain over 100 million tons of debris.

Sources of pollutants

It has been estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships at sea. Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the gyre in about five years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less.

Plastic photodegradation in the ocean

Unlike debris which biodegrades, the photodegraded plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining a polymer. This process continues down to the molecular level.

As the plastic flotsam photodegrades into smaller and smaller pieces, it concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the plastic ultimately becomes small enough to be ingested by aquatic animals which reside near the ocean’s surface. Plastic waste thus enters the food chain through its intense concentration in the neuston.

Impact on Wildlife

The floating plastic particles resemble zooplankton, which can be inadvertently consumed by jellyfish. Many of these long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals, including sea turtles, and the Black-footed Albatross. Besides the particles’ danger to wildlife, the floating debris can absorb organic pollutants from seawater, including PCBs, DDT, and PAHs. Aside from toxic effects, when ingested, some of these are mistaken by the endocrine system as estradiol, causing hormone disruption in the affected animal.

We urge you through this blog, to stay away from bottled water and be a responsible human. We owe this to Earth and to our future generations. Use a good water ionizer. It is much healthier and environmentally freindly.