Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
George Alleyne, Nelson King,
Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, January 3, 2020
By Janaya Wilkins
Janaya Wilkins is the
founder and CEO of SLO*
active, the lifestyle brand
dedicated to protecting the
ocean by selling sustainable
luxury ocean wear.
LONDON, Dec. 20, 2019
(IPS) - Plastic pollution is
currently the largest global
threat to marine life. Each
year, 10-20 million tonnes
of plastic ends up in our
oceans, killing approximately
100,000 marine mammals
and over a million seabirds.
Whilst the media has certainly
helped raise awareness
and inspire a change
of attitude towards plastics,
the amount of plastic in our
oceans is still rising. As a
result, vast numbers of sea
species are now critically
endangered, and the need
for urgent action has never
been stronger.
Marine Debris
So, where does all this
plastic come from? Well,
around 80% of all marine
debris, derives from from
land-based sources. This
includes littering, illegal
waste dumping, and the
improper disposal of products
such as wet wipes, sanitary
products and cotton
buds.
And although more parts
of the world are now turning
their attention towards
the issue, the amount of
rubbish entering the ocean
is rising, with one truckload
of plastic entering the ocean
every single minute.
The remaining 20 percent
of marine debris is the result
of ocean based activity. This
is mainly from the fishing
industry, but also caused by
boats that collect trash and
dump it out at sea.
Dwindling
Populations
Currently, there are more
than five trillion plastic particles
floating around the
world’s oceans and this
number is continuing to rise
fast. According to the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation and
the World Economic Forum,
there could be more plastic
than fish in the ocean by
2050 if we don’t act now.
But what exactly would
this mean for marine life?
The WWF states as many
as 700 marine species are
currently threatened by
plastics. But whilst large
numbers die from choking
on shards of plastic, the
chemicals in plastic such as
petroleum and bisphenol,
are proving just as deadly.
Recent studies have
revealed that 50% of the
world’s coral reefs have
already been destroyed, and
another 40% could be lost
over the next 30 years.
When plastic is ingested,
these toxic chemicals are
released and absorbed into
the body tissue. Overtime,
this can impact fertility and
weaken the immune system.
As a result, those feeding
on plastic are breeding less
and becoming increasingly
vulnerable to diseases and
infections, resulting in population
decline.
This is particularly concerning
for top marine predators
such as dolphins, polar
bears and whales, with studies
revealing higher contamination
levels among
predators at the top of the
food chain. Yet this isn’t
caused by ingesting plastic
directly.
Instead, pollutants are
accumulating in their bodies
through a process called
trophic transfer. This is
where toxins consumed by
smaller creatures such as
plankton and krill are stored
into their body tissue. Over
time, these toxins are passed
up through the food chain.
In most cases, these toxins
come from microplastics.
The Rise of
By Andre Basso
New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo has proposed a ban
on drugs that mimic the
deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl,
which is fueling the
opioid crisis ravaging the
country. The legislation
would make fentanyl analogs
subject to the same
criminal sales and possession
penalties as other controlled
substances.
Mountainside treatment
center applauds this effort to
stem the supply of synthetic
opioids and analogs. Due
to Gov. Cuomo’s ongoing
actions to combat the opioid
epidemic, including making
Narcan – a medication that
reverses opioid overdose –
available at state pharmacies
without a prescription, opioid
overdose deaths in New
York State are decreasing for
the first time in a decade,
down 13.46 percent in 2018.
Opioid-related overdose hospitalizations
are also down
by 7.1 percent.
Criminalizing the sale
and possession of addictive
substances strengthens the
fight against the opioid crisis,
but there is still more to
be done. As we have seen
with the restrictions on prescription
opioids, addiction
does not end when the supply
drops. People who are
struggling with addiction
will look for other ways to
satisfy their cravings. Many
people who previously misused
prescription opioids
turned to illicit drugs, such
as heroin and fentanyl, to
ward off withdrawal symptoms
caused by no longer
having access to prescription
opioids.
Based on fentanyl’s addictive
nature and the high
probability of death with
use, fentanyl is the riskiest
drug this country has
encountered. It is 100 times
more powerful than morphine
and 50 times more
potent than heroin, making
it dangerous even in
tiny amounts. A lethal dose
is two milligrams, about
the weight of a mosquito.
Because fentanyl is inexpensive,
readily available, and
delivers a powerful high,
dealers often mix it with
other substances – such as
cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine,
and MDMA – to
reduce their costs and create
greater demand.
Unfortunately, many people
are unaware fentanyl has
been included in their drug
of choice. The number of
Mountainside clients who
OP-EDS
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Continued on Page 11
Continued on Page 11
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Plastic: The largest
predator in our oceans
Banning fentanyl
analogs is just the
first step in stemming
the opioid crisis
Plastics are increasingly polluting the seas and oceans
and threatening marine ecosystems.
Inter Press Service / Busani Bafana
/schnepsmedia.com