Skip to main content

We can never escape


The presence of plastics in our every aspect of our lives is becoming a greater concern for many people. We know that fish are eating plastics, then we eat the fish, there are microplastics in bottled water and recently it has become apparent that plastic particles are in the air we breathe. Plastics are in every aspect of our lives, but what we do not know is the impact they will have on our health.
            Many of the chemicals that make up plastics are dangerous to human health. They can be endocrine disrupters or even cancerous. When plastic is warmed, the chemicals in its makeup begin to leach into their surroundings, whether that is water or fatty tissue of an animal.
            A recent study found that microplastics were present in the deepest crevices of the ocean. Where did those micro plastics come from? The study determined that they were from clothing particles breaking off in household washing machines and going through the water systems. Another study found that women in remote locations, such as native Alaskans, have higher levels of pollutant in their breast milk than the average woman Meaning there is no where on earth safe from plastics.

Popular posts from this blog

A Pandora’s Box of things I can never unknow

The real difficulty with learning about the amount of waste Americans generate is the flood of other information that comes with that research. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), women are exposed to 168 chemicals in the cosmetics they use while men are exposed to roughly half, 85.             I come from an area of the country where people are adamantly against big government and even more against governmental regulations. On the other hand, they will tell you how great it is to live in a country where the food and water are so safe and clean. Never once will they put two and two together realizing that regulatory agencies ensure their food is safe to eat. Why am I telling you this? Because I am a fan of regulating food and other products to protect us from companies trying to make a buck.             I should not have to learn chemistry to sho...

Conscious consumer

In GEG we had several discussions about the ways to protect the international environment. Most common comments were about strong regulation, better technology or having the global north subsidize the global south. Now I did not disagree with all of those points, but I do disagree with one quite ferociously.               I find the desire for “better” technology to be a way to get around the actual problems we face. I believe people use this as an excuse to exempt themselves from having to make any serious changes to their own life style. For example, I have heard we need more efficient energy use or for better battery technology to store electricity. How about using less? That is not something people in GEG seemed open to doing.             On the other hand, I am obviously an advocate for changing consumer habits; buying less stuff, eating vegetaria...