Instead of being biodegradable, plastics are photodegradable, which means they are broken down by exposure to sunlight. The other critical difference is that, where biodegradable substances are returned to the life cycle in the form of natural chemicals, photodegradable plastics are just broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, creating a large volume of molecular-sized synthetic polymers.
Polymers absorb and create different chemicals, some of which are nonylphenols (endocrine disruptors), PCBs (cause liver damage, anemia, migraines, thyroid disorders, immune suppression, alteration of estrogen levels, birth defects), and DDT (neurotoxicity, miscarriage, cancer, thyroid and endocrine disorders). When plastic in the ocean is eaten by living organisms, the toxic chemicals within are released into that organism. In phytoplankton, toxic chemicals are consumed and then passed long the food chain up to higher trophic levels, and the concentration of these chemicals increases exponentially at each level, in a process called biomagnification.
In the above image, replace the porpoise with a person. It's then common sense to realize the amplification of these toxins can have profound effects on higher organisms, which unfortunately means us. Do your part and reduce the amount of plastic in your life. It's not enough anymore to just recycle it and take comfort in another form of "away." Unfortunately, due to the current plastic pollution crisis, no one in the future will be spared from this toxic oversight, but we CAN make a commitment to preventing it from becoming worse. The future of your family, the people of the world and the health of our planet is in your hands.
Below is a video by Captain Charles Moore where he discusses his findings and how serious things are in the Northern Pacific Gyre.
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