User:Aimeesuzette/sandbox

Lightweight plastic bags are also blown into trees and other plants and can be mistaken for food. Plastic bags break do not break down through biodegradation, but by polymer degradation and photodegradation. Polymer degradation releases toxic additives into the environment, including flame retardants, antimicrobials, and plasticizers. Many of those toxins directly affect the endocrine systems of organisms, which control almost every cell in the body. Photodegradation is the process of decomposing by sunlight, as the plastic decomposes it breaks up into pieces that continue to break down until those pieces become microplastics. Microplastics are dangerous for animals. When eaten they accumulate inside and can cause fatal blockages and puncture organs. Microplastics have been found in the deepest parts of the ocean. 72% of the marine life tested in the deepest parts of the ocean were found to have ingested Microplastics.

Research shows the average operating "lifespan" of a plastic bag to be approximately 20 minutes. Plastic bags can last in landfill – an anaerobic environment – for up to 1000 years.