Air Pollution

   By: Emily Zhong

You open the window and take a fresh, clean breath of air. But really how clean is that air? Pollution happens every day, every hour, every minute. From plastic to gas, we pollute the Earth whether we know it or not. One of the major types of pollution is air pollution. And this spikes the question, what is pollution?

Pollution is the introduction of any matter or any form of energy to an environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed or stored in some harmless state. Air pollution is the release of pollutants into the air that is detrimental to human health and the planet. While there are natural causes of air pollution like volcanic ashes, forest fires, and hot springs, there are also ways we pollute the very air we breathe. Some ways we pollute the air are the use of fossil fuels, electricity, and transportation. And our actions could have momentous consequences if we continue on with this.

There are approximately 4.2 million deaths every year as a result of exposure to ambient air pollution. Approximately just eight percent of people worldwide breathe air that meets WHO (World Health Organization) standards. That means a staggering 92 percent of people breathe polluted air. A toxic environment could be perilous. At least one out of four deaths reported worldwide is caused by a toxic environment. Your body relies on the air you breathe, and poor air can cause damage to the lungs and other organs.

Hazardous air pollutants are deadly and could have severe health risks, even in small amounts. Some of the most common air pollutants are mercury, lead, dioxins, and benzene. Most of them are emitted during gas or coal combustion, incinerating and in the case of benzene, found in gasoline. Benzene can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, lungs, and if exposed to long enough, cause blood disorders. Dioxins are more typically found in food but can also be present in small amounts in the air. They can affect the liver, and if exposed to long enough, cause harm to the immune, nervous, endocrine systems, and reproductive functions. Lead can be very noxious to children. In large amounts, it could damage their brain and kidneys; and even in small amounts, it can affect children’s IQ and ability to learn. Mercury can affect the central nervous system.

The burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil produces 2/3 of the SO2 (sulfur dioxide) in the air. And this gas can irritate the eyes and lungs and makes the rain acidic. Acid rain kills aquatic life and also damages buildings. The burning of fossil fuels also produces CO (carbon monoxide), which is an odorless, colorless gas that interferes with our bloodstream and could cause heart damage or even death. Deforestation is also a contributor to air pollution. The loss of trees affects the air by reducing the amount of oxygen and increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, as well as contributing to global warming.

Some other causes of air pollution are greenhouse gases, smog and soot. Greenhouse gases trap the earth’s heat in the atmosphere, leading to warmer temperatures. Possible consequences include the melting of polar ice caps, and this could lead to an increase in sea level, precipitation and severe weather events like hurricanes. Smog can aggravate the eyes, throat and harm the lungs. This is substantially worse for children, people who spend time outside, and senior citizens. It’s even worse for people who have asthma or allergies. These additional pollutants only intensify their symptoms and can trigger asthma attacks.

Some ways we can reduce air pollution is using less gasoline and making smart choices about transportation. You can walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation. And for driving, you could choose cars that get better miles per gallon of gas or choose an electric car. You can also investigate your power provider options, like using solar or wind energy.

It is time we paid attention to better the air quality since air pollution has resulted predominantly from the things that benefit people. We can all help in our own way. It may cause small inconveniences, but in the long run, if everyone unites to solve the problem, we can make a significant change to protect the environment as well as human health.

Don’t be influenced by an influencer!

By: Nora Whiteside

How often do you log on to your social media to see your favorite influencer boasting the effects of a health tea or makeup line that will make you perfect? Probably every time, but brands don’t have influencers sponsor their products for no reason. And influencers aren’t called influencers for no reason. But what happens when this influence affects the personal lives of followers?

“Why could this influence be so bad?” you might say. Well, opinions change based on who you listen to on a daily basis and look up to. For example, in one study, a group of pre-teens were shown a video of a prankster scaring vulnerable and unexpected strangers with loud noises who were visibly upset. Despite this, the majority of the pre-teens responded by saying that the “victims” had willingly obliged and didn’t mind being part of the prank. Experts say this mindset and constant belief can lead to copied behaviors because “it’s all fine!” This leads to even more trouble when influencers can take advantage of us and make us buy things that we don’t need.

How are these random strangers on the other side of a screen able to swoon us into buying products we don’t need, standing up for them in internet fights and even changing our lifestyles? In a study by Defy Media, 63% of people aged 13-24 said that they would try a product recommended by a Youtuber. Why? Most popular influencers and Youtube stars feel relatable, trendy, engaging and authentic. A study conducted by The University of Twente showed that many teenagers seek advice and form opinions from older Youtubers. The demographic that is clearly very influenced by our social media stars and Youtubers is millennials and teens. Ask any millennial or teen if they watch Youtube or who their favorite Youtuber is and they will probably very quickly respond yes and which one. One of the things that lure teenagers into being connected to Youtubers is being able to relate to struggles that they may be dealing with in their own lives and find someone who understands. For example, Youtubers who talk openly about gender orientation, depression, suicide, relationships, and other heavy topics can be almost a therapy to be able to relate to someone. Because Youtubers can create this “bond” with their fans, ideas, trends, and habits start to leak into the lives of fans. But when does this “relationship” become dangerous?

How many of the most popular YouTuber’s only source of income is Youtube? Practically all of them. The Pauls, Shane Dawson, Ali-A, and Lele Pons. Those are lots of influencers that are popular among teenagers, and kids have no other source of income or jobs.  It would make sense to advertise products to earn more money, right? Yes, but this starts to become a problem when the general audience is young kids and teens. The first problem arises when YouTubers with young audiences promote the wrong companies. For example, Jake Paul is a YouTuber with a very young audience already susceptible to these YouTubers who can take easy advantage of their audience. A while ago Jake Paul and other popular YouTubers started sponsoring a website named Mystery Brand. On this website, people would buy an online box (ranging from $3 - $2,000) and open it to possibly win an expensive, luxurious prize. This didn’t go too well for Jake Paul and others as they quickly received backlash for advertising a gambling website to young children, which is against Youtube’s policies and even the gambling website’s! The website states, “The use of the services of the website is strictly prohibited for persons under 13 or not reached the age of majority.” Some might say, “Well, I would know a gambling advertisement when I see one!” or “These kids ought to know the difference between a sponsored promotion and a regular video.” But that’s exactly the problem. No one wants to hear it, but young children and even teens have weakened critical thinking, which makes it difficult to tell one from the other in terms of paid promotions or find the discrepancy between biased and unbiased content.

So don’t become intertwined with this social media epidemic! Check the sites, check the facts and do a double-take for every quick assumption you make about things that go on behind the scenes. Be on the top of your game around these people! You don’t know them! As much as they may make you feel like a friend, lots of it is for money; it is a career after all! Don’t be influenced by an influencer!

All Snakes are Deadly

By: Beverly Warnke

          Do you ever really think of what animals are capable of, or what they can do to anyone if they feel threatened? People might yell at you saying, “Get away, that snake is poisonous/deadly” when it’s not.

          The Garter snake  (see picture) is an inoffensive snake that wants to mind its own business. The Garter snake is one of the most typical snakes in North America, with a large span from Canada to Florida; a lot of people even keep them as house companions. Garter snakes are very docile and can be handled very easily, but please wash your hands after touching because they have glands on the underside of their body that release a malodorous scent. Also, Garter snakes can be aggressive, so if it doesn’t want to be bothered, then don’t bother it. “Some species of Garter snakes do produce a mild neurotoxic venom, but it does not affect humans,” says LiveScience. Garter snakes vary in color with the species and the region the snake lives in, and they usually have three stripes; one runs down its back and one on each side. For most species, the stripes are a yellowish-green, but this varies with some snakes.

The next snake is the Corn snake. The Corn snake is found in the South-Eastern parts of the U.S. They inhabit fields, meadows, forests, and rural areas that provide enough food (abandoned homes/barns). Many Corn snakes can be found in the wild, but many can be found in homes living good, happy lives as pets. Main threats for the thriving of Corn snakes are habitat destruction and mistaken murder. Corn snakes are not venomous, and unfortunately people often kill Corn snakes because they share similarities in appearance with poisonous snake known as the Copperhead. Corn snakes are usually orange or dark yellow in color, and they also have red blotches and stripes on the back and lateral sides of the body. Their belly is covered with black and white markings. The color variety of the body depends on the habitat (it provides camouflage). A type of Corn snake is the Snowflake Corn snake, and this beautiful snake is not quite albino, but not quite corn Snake, which is why it’s called the Snowflake Corn snake.

The last snake is the Ball Python. Ball Pythons are named after their natural defensive behaviors because when threatened they tend to curl up into a ball and avoid socializing, but with proper socialization they can be easily handled and are very docile. They are also called the Royal Python because ancient royalty wore them as jewelry, such as arm bands or the most popular one, a necklace.  Like all other pythons, it is a non-venomous constrictor. This is the smallest of the African Pythons and is most popular in the pet trade. Most Ball Pythons (or pythons in general) are mistaken for deadly, so their bite may need some time to recover from, but they are still non-threatening to society.

          The three different types of non venomous snakes that you can keep as pets are the Garter snake, Corn snake, and the Ball Python. Remember, don’t have an irrational fear of harmless snakes, only fear the deadly ones.

Animals Used for Entertainment

By: Ava Vitali

I bet you’ve gone somewhere where animals are used for the public’s entertainment, but have you ever considered the conditions of these places? The use of animals for the public’s enjoyment may be more corrupt than it appears, and these places usually keep their animals in uninhabitable conditions. The businesses that use animals for the public’s amusement are usually more concerned about what is appealing to their customers before their animals’ needs, and thousands of animals suffer every day because of it.

         Zoos, marine parks, and circuses are just some examples of places that harm animals for our entertainment. Although there are certainly places that have good intentions and strive to take good care of their animals, unfortunately they’re usually incapable of doing so. Animals deserve to be free and in the wild, and even the most elaborate and vast enclosures can’t come close to meeting the space that is required for these animals to be content. There is even a disorder called ‘zoochosis’ that animals are able to develop if they are caged up for too long. It practically drives them insane, and animals will start pulling out their own fur and feathers. Circuses have similar conditions as zoos, where the animals are caged and chained. However, cruel training tools are frequently used there if animals don’t do the right thing. Trainers use whips, chains, electric prods that shock the animals, and bullhooks, which are devices commonly used on elephants. Bullhooks are long poles with a sharp hook attached to the end, used to dig into the sensitive flesh behind the animal’s ears or ankles. And in SeaWorld parks across the U.S. alone, during the past ten years over sixty bottlenose dolphins have died.

These aren’t the only places where animal mistreatment occurs. Horse and dog races are other sports that many people think are harmless to the animals, but that is not true. In horse racing, the animals are usually forced to start racing at a young age, and they are sometimes drugged to enhance their performance. Lasix, one of the most common drugs used, causes the horses to rapidly lose weight. Thyroxine is another popular drug used in the race industry. It is intended to treat hypothyroidism, but it is often given to horses without any thyroid issues because it also quickens the animals’ metabolism. It is estimated that two horses die on the racetrack each day, and currently almost one dog dies every three days on a Florida Greyhound racetrack. Aside from them dying on the track, usually when dogs or horses stop winning or get too old to participate in these races they will get sent to be killed at slaughterhouses. Around 20,000 dogs are killed each year because they can no longer partake in or have stopped winning races.

Bullfighting and dogfighting are illegal in many areas, yet they still take place and are some of the cruelest and most problematic sports. In bullfighting, bulls and men on horseback enter the arena. The men use lances and drive them into the bull’s neck and back and continue this until they either kill the bull or paralyze the animal. This sport is illegal in the U.S.A., but it takes place in Mexico, Peru, Columbia, and several European countries (mainly Spain). Dogfighting is an illegal underground activity that involves two dogs being released into a pit and fighting to the death. These dogs are bet on, and people gamble on which dog will win. It is estimated by some sources that although dogfights are illegal, an average of 16,000 dogs are killed in them each year.

The most prominent source of animals being used as entertainers is wealthy businesses that gain money mainly off of you paying to see their animals.  So what can we do to stop the mistreatment of animals at these places? You can help by not supporting or going to places where they use animals for our entertainment, and compelling your friends and family to do the same. People need to wake up and look behind the scenes to notice what is really happening to our animals.

Pollution

By: Skyer Van Wormer

            When you walk down a street or go to a beach, do you see a lot of plastic water bottles on the ground or trash? Most people around the world can't walk or drive somewhere without seeing garbage on the ground. Beaches around the world are having to close because of so much pollution in the water and on the beach.

258 million tons of solid waste is on the ground around the world. The owners of beaches are having to put up signs for the guests of the beaches to recycle their bottles. They are even putting more trash cans on beaches so they don't get polluted. For instance, one of the most polluted beaches in the world is Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India. This beach has been closed and had to get worked on a numerous amount of times because of its population of pollution on the beach. Only 34% of plastic bottles are recycled. And only 136 million was able to be gathered together by civilians. Most hazardous waste is any liquid, solid or sludge waste that contains properties that are dangerous or potentially harmful to the health of the environment. This is a problem because hazard waste could do something to our health. If the environment gets polluted even the air can crunch our health numbers.

783 million people don't have access to swim or go near oceans with clean water. When people go on vacations they think about going to a beach of some sort, but when people leave beaches they don't throw away all their trash. Most everybody when they go somewhere that has a beach or something like that think it will be relaxing, but they don't think of garbage or trash blowing around them.     

2.5 billion people don't have access to adequate sanitation. Not only are oceans being polluted, but streams, lakes, and bays also have lots of pollution to them. 44% of streams are polluted, 64% of lakes are polluted, and 30% of bays are polluted. Some streams travel out to the ocean, and if we all start polluting streams then the water from the stream is going to travel to the ocean.

Not only is pollution harming humans, but it is also harming sea animals. Animals across the world are getting extinct because of pollution in the water and on the surface. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year.

If people around the world don't stop and take one minute of the day to recycle their trash, then our kids’ future is going to be a world full of trash. There won't be a lot of places to go to around the world if we don’t recycle trash; there won’t be nice places to go in the future.

Tobacco: A Deadly Killer

By: Will Parsons

How many people really know how tobacco affects us, or even what the substance is?  By definition, tobacco is the preparation of the nicotine-rich leaves of an American plant, which are cured by a process of dying and fermentation for smoking or chewing. We all are very knowledgeable of what it is, although most of us only have a meager understanding of the effects that it has on our bodies. However, an inference can be formed that its effects are negative, and this is proven through the 480,000 deaths in America each year that tobacco causes. This makes sense considering that about 90% of all lung cancer deaths are tied to the use of tobacco smoke. There are so many ways to consume tobacco as well, some of which include tobacco cigarettes, cigars, tobacco vape, chewing tobacco, snuff boxes, dissolvable tobacco, and even a tobacco hookah. Tobacco is all around our modern world. Nonetheless, it's slowly killing our population with its hazardous effects.

Tobacco’s effects on the brain are nearly as horrifying as the rest. When consumed, tobacco goes straight into the bloodstream. When entered into the blood, the nicotine inside the tobacco almost instantly triggers the adrenal glands to discharge the hormone epinephrine, otherwise known as adrenaline. However, then the adrenaline stimulates the central nervous system and increases breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Several of these effects could undermine or weaken your blood vessels, cause blood coagulation, or possibly generate a stroke, or deprive your organs and tissues of oxygen. Tobacco’s nicotine also increases levels of dopamine, which gives you a high. Sounds like an even-handed set of consequences, right?

Tobacco doesn’t exclusively have negative effects on the brain; tobacco affects the lungs in negative ways as well. When smoking tobacco, the cells that create mucus in the lungs go through an intensification-like process. The cells increase in size, as well as increase the overall number of cells. The lungs cannot adequately clean the additional mucus, so this leads to airways being clogged by the mucus. Moreover, the excess mucus leaves you apt for further infection. Smoking tobacco also inflames and agitates the lungs, and this can lead to excessive coughing. Smoked tobacco also dismantles your lungs and lung tissue, which decreases the amount of air space and blood vessels in your lungs. Less oxygen to sections of the body is just one consequence to less airspace and blood vessels in your lungs. Cilia are bristle-like hairs that line and cleanse the lungs. Tobacco smoke diminishes the movement of cilia which can lead to not having your lungs sanitary. Only one cigarette could slow the action of cilia and reduce the number of cilia in the lungs.

Tobacco especially has disastrous effects on the body, especially the bones and muscles. Smoking tobacco affects the bones, making them insubstantial, which makes you more prone to bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis and bone fracture. Additionally, tobacco causes your muscles to prolong recovery. So as an outcome, the speed of your body’s curative process deteriorates, and another repercussion of this is that the muscle will tear, as well as the inflammation of tendons. When the muscle is inadequately healing itself, it will conclude in muscle inflammation. Muscle inflammation provokes you to be fatigued and sore more frequently than you would have if you didn’t use tobacco products. A curtailment of blood supply to the bones is drawn to the use of tobacco. And the nicotine that’s inside of tobacco will depreciate the production of bone-producing cells known as osteoblasts, so they overall make less, strong bones.

          Although there are so many ways to use tobacco and get drawn in, doing so is reprehensible in the long run. The effects tobacco has on you will outnumber that little dopamine rush ten to one every time. Smoking, chewing, or even inhaling this substance could lead to a life of distress and suffering. Tobacco isn’t just for old guys anymore, and it’s becoming modernized and used in too many ways to the point where it’s essentially unavoidable.

Animal Abuse

By: Lexie Smith    

In one survey, 71% of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. “Incidences of animal cruelty reported to the Michigan State Police rose 575 percent statewide between 2016 and 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the MSP’s 2017 Quality Assurance Report.” The list goes on and on of new “Weekly Reports” of animal abuse. It's very sad that animals have to go through all the pain either just for money or no reason! Animals should be able to live with no worries. 

Animal Abuse is defined as the infliction by omission or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon any non-human. Eerie, right? When most people think of animal abuse, they think of dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals. However, according to recent discoveries, livestock abuse is also on the rise. One example of a livestock abuse case was in Massachusetts. Twenty-six tenants who rented space on a property owned by a farmer were found guilty on one hundred, fifty-five accounts of animal cruelty involving mistreatment of one thousand, four hundred animals.  The farmer was caught only after thousands of animals had to suffer from horrific abuse! According to the press release by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, some animals, “were living in such deep manure waste that their hooves had rotted off and they were suffering from painful eye, intestinal and skin ailments.” The outstanding number of animals in need of care, and the cruel and unsanitary conditions we found were deplorable.” Reported by the Boston Globe, this included, “cows trapped in barbed wire” and “emaciated dogs kept on short chains in pens littered with broken glass.” The local police department said it looked like more than just one crime scene. It could be multiple. This is just one appalling scene found and multiple more ones to go.

          Another disgusting and spine-chilling case was found where twelve dogs were found dead, wrapped in plastic in a freezer. Investigators found that many of the dogs were living in urine and feces-filled crates with no food or water. Several nursing mothers had puppies stuffed in plastic and wire crates tucked in a closet.  The animals’ owner claimed that they were selling them for profit, but it's still unclear. The surviving puppies were taken to get examined and given care.

          Almost 100% of animals are in our food chain. Dogs and many other pets help give back to humans and society, and most humans don’t even notice it. They protect us, comfort us, and help people who suffer from debilitating health conditions such as loss of eyesight and PTSD to live a life that is as normal as possible.

          So, what can you do if you notice an animal that appears to be suffering from one or more of these issues? Call your local animal welfare agency right away! In most areas, someone from the local animal control agency, humane organization, or animal shelter will have to investigate and enforce the local anti-cruelty laws, but if you don’t know who’s in charge in your city or town, you can always call the police non-emergency number to find out who to report the abuse to. I think that the best way to fight cruelty is to teach as many people as possible how their pets should be treated and what they should never ever do. You can help spread the word by using your own community to do so. For example, you can share messages about the right way to treat animals on social media or offer to teach a class at an elementary school.

          At the very least, I think people need to stand up for what they believe in when they see animal cruelty and take a stand by reporting the behavior. The more abusive pet owners are punished, the less likely others are to do the same thing.

The Dangers of Fast Food

By: Michael Pontisakos

Endemic corpulence. Morbid obesity. Is this what we think about when we look at America's past with its pioneers, its daring revolutionaries and its hardworking self-sacrificing immigrants? Is our Manifest Destiny addiction to fast food with sclerotic bodies and lifestyles? All Americans should be more careful with what they eat.

One in four Americans go to a fast food restaurant at least three times a week. This could cause obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Most Americans get more than half of their calories from processed foods. These foods contain 90% of America’s added sugar intake.

According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Institutes of Health, “The increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to high obesity rates among children. It was observed that 72.5% of the overweight or obese students [ in the study ] consumed fast food at least 4 times/week.” Adding to this problem is the fact that it takes a long time burn off the calories of many processed fast foods. According to Chris Muir, co-founder of Caliber Fitness, it takes a man 53 minutes of weightlifting, and a woman 64 minutes, to burn a large order of McFries at McDonald’s and a man 57 minutes and the woman 68 minutes to burn off the calories of a Big Mac. It takes 64 minutes for a man to burn off three pieces of KFC chicken; for a woman it will take her 101 minutes. He also claims that it takes 16 minutes for a man and 19 minutes for a woman to burn off just one 330ml can of Coca-Cola.

McDonald’s designs food to target the opioid receptors, which are distributed widely in the brain, spinal cord, peripheral neurons, and the digestive tract in order to get the average person's mind to want more. This works almost like the addictive effects of nicotine in smoking or using drugs. Once people start eating junk food, they become dependent. In the short term people can become sick, tired and overweight.

The evidence is clear; all Americans should be more careful with what they eat. Frequent trips to McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s and similar eateries may prove to sabotage your health.

The Danger of Plastic in the Ocean

                   By: Olivia Marino                        

Have you ever wondered how many pounds of plastic are thrown into the ocean each year? Have you ever taken a second to think about all the dangers sea animals are in and the suffering they endure because of pollution?  If plastic continues to be thrown into the ocean the number of sea animals will slowly begin to decrease.

            Plastic is one of the most treacherous threats to the marine environment. Plastic ingestion kills around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Marine animals generally eat microplastics because of their minuscule size. Plastic contains toxic chemicals, which can escalate the chance of disease and affect reproduction. Also, the fate of many sea animals is suffocation, starvation, or drowning due to ingesting, or getting tangled up in plastic. Studies found that half of the sea turtles around the world have ingested plastic due to thinking the plastic was food. This is an immense problem!

Oxygen levels in the ocean are negatively affected by plastic. This is detrimental to the marine life. There is a toxic substance in plastic called Bisphenol A. This substance does not get diluted in water, and the debris left from it uses oxygen. As oxygen levels descend, it abominably affects the survival of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and penguins. Shores and beaches are also overwhelmed with plastic. Plastic on shores become effortless threats to seabirds that get caught up in the choke-hold of plastic. It has been stated that the number of marine animals getting entangled in plastic debris and ingesting it has increased by 40% in recent years.

Sea creatures are at a substantial risk of dying from their habitats being infested by plastic. Plastic is a tremendous and dreadful scare to the marine life. Fortunately, there are many organizations that are fighting to help reduce plastic pollution in the oceans. Oceana, The Surfrider Foundation and the Bahamas Plastic Movement are just a few organizations that are working to help eliminate plastic pollution. Eliminating plastic would establish beneficial effects for our world.

The Danger of Plastic in the Ocean

By: Olivia Marino                        

Have you ever wondered how many pounds of plastic are thrown into the ocean each year? Have you ever taken a second to think about all the dangers sea animals are in and the suffering they endure because of pollution?  If plastic continues to be thrown into the ocean the number of sea animals will slowly begin to decrease.

            Plastic is one of the most treacherous threats to the marine environment. Plastic ingestion kills around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Marine animals generally eat microplastics because of their minuscule size. Plastic contains toxic chemicals, which can escalate the chance of disease and affect reproduction. Also, the fate of many sea animals is suffocation, starvation, or drowning due to ingesting, or getting tangled up in plastic. Studies found that half of the sea turtles around the world have ingested plastic due to thinking the plastic was food. This is an immense problem!

Oxygen levels in the ocean are negatively affected by plastic. This is detrimental to the marine life. There is a toxic substance in plastic called Bisphenol A. This substance does not get diluted in water, and the debris left from it uses oxygen. As oxygen levels descend, it abominably affects the survival of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and penguins. Shores and beaches are also overwhelmed with plastic. Plastic on shores become effortless threats to seabirds that get caught up in the choke-hold of plastic. It has been stated that the number of marine animals getting entangled in plastic debris and ingesting it has increased by 40% in recent years.

Sea creatures are at a substantial risk of dying from their habitats being infested by plastic. Plastic is a tremendous and dreadful scare to the marine life. Fortunately, there are many organizations that are fighting to help reduce plastic pollution in the oceans. Oceana, The Surfrider Foundation and the Bahamas Plastic Movement are just a few organizations that are working to help eliminate plastic pollution. Eliminating plastic would establish beneficial effects for our world.

Screen Illusions

By: Lauren Lamme

Have you ever heard a parent say, “Turn your screen off because it is bad for your eyes,” and most of the time you don’t listen because they’re parents? You should start listening to them though. Those “30 minutes” you say you spend on electronics do add up to those five to eight hours teens usually spend on devices.

You may be thinking, Why is this person writing about this? I have been playing videogames all day long and nothing has happened.  So far, nothing has happened. There are many symptoms to the computer vision syndrome, and this is caused by looking at a screen for long periods of time. These symptoms you might be familiar with: strained and dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches. This is worse for kids because they don’t have the discipline to limit themselves from screen time, they are mostly just playing games, and it’s not for school or work. Being on screens is an addiction, and there are some things to prove it. On average, people check their phones eight BILLION times per day! Also, thirty percent of adults spend nine hours on electronics per day. Lastly, kids ages 8-18 spend more than seven hours on electronics per day. There are reasons your parents say not to be on screens for too long, and it’s for your health.

Why screens disturb your perception is because there is a special light in the screen called blue light. Blue light is not bad for you, but if you get an overdose of it or too less of it the blue light is bad for your health. You already get natural blue light from the sun, and the blue light “decides” whether or not you need to go to sleep. Blue light is naturally in the sun, so when the sun goes down, your body says, “It’s time to go to bed!” because the blue light is not there anymore, but guess what happens when you get up to check your social media on your phone? You don’t feel drowsy anymore because your body sees the blue light. Then your body thinks the sun is still up, so you stay awake. Also, if you have constant exposure to blue light, your retinal cells will be damaged and can make long term vision problems. Your retina is something in your eye that processes light and color that we are able to see everyday. Ways you can help make blue light not as harmful are you can set limits on screen times and take breaks from the screen every ten minutes. Also, you can get glasses or new glasses lenses for screens that helps block the blue light in the screen.

Screens are becoming a bigger and bigger problem, and soon electronics will take over our lives good or bad. People need to wake up and realize this problem. Screens can affect our bodies in a good or bad way, but we just need to figure out how to use them correctly, set limits for ourselves, and work harder to reach the goal.

Juul Isn’t Cool

By: Trivika Komatireddy

         

Imagine hanging out with your friends and suddenly seeing them pull out vape pens, asking you if you want to try. Would you do it? Do you think it’s cool, fun, or maybe even harmless? If you’re like the majority of teens, you may not realise that vaping is a risky issue today. Between the abundant flavors and sleek look, many people get caught up in it, and even worse, think that it’s harmless! But they couldn’t be more mistaken, because vaping is toxic for the body. It has cancer-causing chemicals and numerous other negative consequences, and several young people are damaging their well-being by trying it. The number of people that vape continues to grow while we keep thinking that it’s okay.

          The number of kids that vape has gone up a lot in the past few years. Five hundred thousand middle schoolers vaped in 2016. Thirty-seven percent of high schoolers have tried vaping before. And if that’s not bad enough, almost twenty-one percent of kids have vaped recently! Now compare that to the eleven percent last year. Most of these kids don’t even realise that vaping isn’t good for you, and that you can get addicted to it. Currently, over one-third of high school seniors say that they use vaping products. The number of kids that vape is increasing rapidly, and we really need to do something about it. Numerous studies show that if a teenager uses vaping products now, they will end trying regular tobacco cigarettes. Studies also show one out of five eighth graders that use tobacco cigarettes started with vaping. We need to take action and realise vaping is bad for us.

The way vape pens look often lead teens and kids to think that vaping is cool and fun. The contemporary look lures students into thinking vaping is okay. They are often marketed in a way that targets the youth by introducing a large variety of flavors. Almost one-third of kids who vape say that they tried it because of all the flavors that are available, such as mint, candy, fruit, and chocolate. Packaging on vapes does little to show all of the negative impacts. The covering says only five percent is nicotine, which leads students to think that the remaining ninety-five is just water. They don’t realise how harmful it really is. Twenty-five percent of teens who vape say that it’s just flavoring. The modern look, colorful and animated wrappers, and the flavors make vaping very appealing for kids.

Many kids don’t even realise what they are doing when they vape. They often don’t realise that vaping liquid contains nicotine and other harmful chemicals. The majority of teens thinks that vaping is okay just because it’s better than regular cigarettes. It’s not just flavoring; it’s destructive to your health. Although vaping may not be as bad as smoking regular cigarettes, it’s definitely not good for you. Vaping “juice” can contain nicotine, diacetyl, and formaldehyde. Nicotine can escalate your blood pressure and boost your adrenaline, making you more prone to heart attacks. Nicotine also makes vaping very addicting, and enduring the agonizing withdrawal symptoms, the symptoms you feel after not vaping for a while, is difficult.  It can also affect your brain, attention, and memory. Diacetyl is a familiar harmful chemical that can give you diseases, such as popcorn lung. Formaldehyde, a chemical commonly used in building materials, can be found in some brands of vapes! Exposing yourself to chemicals that we don’t fully know the long term effects of is dangerous.

Vaping is clearly very dangerous, risky, and can lead to horrible consequences.  Don’t let marketing and packaging lure you into a trap. The flavors and modern look might seem okay at first glance but can seriously harm your health. We need to realise that vaping is a big issue currently, and then take the steps we need to prevent teens and kids from getting addicted. Vaping is not cool and definitely not fun if you know the long term effects of it. Let’s wake up and save today’s youth from addiction.

Too Much Screen Time

By: Troy Hayes

Have you ever wondered how much screen time can affect you? One opinion I have about screen time is that you should have limited time on the screen.

          Too much screen time can affect a lot of things in a vast way. Here are some things it can affect. It can affect your sleep, how you act, and how you do on academic testing. The light from a screen can lead to insomnia.

Children allocate eight to 17 hours on a screen and a minimum of 7.5 hours on Social Media. In 2016, too much technology increased your child’s health problems.

But not just children do these things; adults do too. Adults usually spend at least 11 hours on screen time! But in 2015, children felt unimportant when their parents had too much screen time at meals and fun time.

Here are some suggestions that can help you and your children or child prevent these things from happening.   You can have a family night once a week, (technology free)! You can have no digital devices during family meals, no screen time in the car, and have no screens allowed in bedrooms.

I think too much screen time affects people’s lives. If you give up technology, I promise that you will discover new things off the screen.

Not Enough Ocean

By Rachel Drozdyk

          Have you littered before? You might think it doesn't have any effect.  It does. An effect that involves harming the animals, humans, Earth, and especially the oceans!

         The oceans take up 70% of the earth's surface. This means we should be keeping good care of them. Right? Nope, in fact we are doing the exact opposite of that. Humans dump around 1.4 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean every year. Sources of pollution are sewage, industrial waste, and oil spills. The biggest source is from something called nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source pollution is caused by runoff. Millions of motor vehicle engines drop small proportions of oil every day on places like parking lots and roads. A large portion  of it makes its way to the oceans, causing them to be polluted.

           Have you ever heard of the Pacific Trash Vortex? It is a large patch of plastic and garbage that floats in the Pacific Ocean. This vortex is claimed to be 700,000 square kilometers, which is about the size of Texas. This is a big problem, especially for the marine life. The United Nations Ocean Conference estimated that in the year 2050 there will be less fish and more plastic. It is also said that long-lasting plastics end up in the stomach of a marine animals.

Humans must take caution because ocean pollution can affect us. The ocean is 70% of the oxygen. It is also 97% of the world's water supply. Chemicals enter the oceans, but not just any chemicals, toxic chemicals. Chemicals like cadmium, mercury, tin, copper, selenium, arsenic, nickel, zinc, and lead. These toxic chemicals can be a potential threat for us humans; they cause diseases and allergies.

Ocean pollution doesn't just affect humans. It also affects marine life. It is said that more than 100,00 sea mammals are killed every year. Birds and fish must be weary of the oil because it can cover birds feathers and fish gills. Oil can cause irritation to the skin and eyes. It can also cause problems for the lung and liver. Pollution can even cause marine animals’ reproductive system to fail.

Ocean pollution is a very dangerous problem that needs to be fixed.  It does nothing but harm and kill.  If we take action, problems will be solved. So next time, think twice about littering, and save the oceans.