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respiratorytractsand oftenpoisonsthe animal.This poison can ultimatelybe passedto humansby consumingseafood that had previouslyingestedplastic.Hormonemalfunctions, reproductiveproblemsand certaincancersare all attributed to eatingcontaminatedseafood.Greenpeaceestimatesthat the GPGPtakes the lives of 100,000animalsa year. The LaysanAlbatrossand the HawaiianMonk Seal have been affected to the point where they may face extinction if nothingis done. Cleaning this floating dump would require internationalcooperationand cost billionsof dollars.This scenariois highlyunlikelydue to the fact that no countries Babystepscan be taken are liningup to take responsibility. to reduceour contributionto the GPGP.Throwingtrash on the ground is unacceptable;garbagecans and recycling bins exist for a reason. Those that utilize the sea for shippingor leisureneed to ensure that the ocean is not used as their personalwaste basket.A methodof lessening the impact of the GPGP and many other waste managementproblemswould be to reducethe amountof plastic produced.Food cartons and packagingmaterials need to be created with biodegradableproducts, greatly reducingthe effectthey have on the environment.We need to shift awayfrom the "throwaway societies"we've become accustomedto. Berton, Justin. "Continent-sizetoxic stew of plastic trash fouling swath of Pacific Ocean." San Francisco Chronicle19 Oct.2007:W8. Dumas,Daisy."Landfillon Sea."Ecolooist.37.7 e0A7):3437.
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