Why Plastic?
When considering our climate crisis what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Greenhouse gasses, emissions, and global warming? But what about plastic?
“Why Plastic? Shouldn’t there be other more important things you should be worrying about!”
When I began researching plastics I had quite a few people ask me the question, “Why plastic? Surely there are other more important things you should be worrying about! Instead of trying to take away our plastic, you should just stop driving your car!
I wish I was joking but I’ve had this interaction more than once. I think it goes to show just how convoluted environmental issues really are. In reality, there is a deep link between plastics and the fossil fuel industry. Plastic waste and the climate crisis are indeed two sides of the same coin: the greed of big oil corporations.
Why should we care?
For me this question is a doozy. One, because there are so many red flags when it comes to plastic and our plastic crisis that it seems like a no brainer to care. Two, because of this it’s hard to figure out where to start.
So we’ll start here…the pervasiveness of plastics in our lives and the environment. Plastics are ubiquitous in our environment and quite frankly unavoidable. It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are, you are being exposed to plastics ALL THE TIME!! Let that sink in for a minute because you should be alarmed. Why? Because of the implications of plastics on environment and human health due to the nature of plastic production and the sale of chemicals and the fact that 2/3rds of all plastics ever produced, have been released into the environment, and remain there in some form today (source).
The Dangers of Plastics to Human Health
Plastics are a complex cocktail of dangerous chemicals due to the wide variety of chemical additives used to alter and change structural characteristics. These additives are incorporated during manufacturing and include plasticizers, flame retardants, cross-linking additives, antioxidants and other stabilizers, sensitizers, surfactants, inorganic fillers, and colorants/pigments.
Now get this, many chemicals used in the direct application and production of plastics have never been tested for safety. I repeat…NEVER BEEN TESTED FOR SAFETY!! What’s even worse is that NO plastic has ever been proven as safe. Yikes!!
The exogenous chemicals and mixture of chemicals in plastics interfere with many aspects of hormone action and function. Due to this nature, these chemicals have been aptly named as endocrine-disruption chemicals, also known as EDCs. These chemicals have been found in our environment, foods, and consumer products and interfere with hormone synthesis, metabolism, and action which results in hormonal imbalances and dysregulation.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
There are hundreds of chemicals that have been identified as known or suspected EDCs that are still used in plastic production today. The two classes of EDCs that have received attention are Phthalates and Phenols. Phthalates are an additive used to create flexibility in plastics while Phenols are used as hardeners. There is an abundance of data showing the toxicity of these chemical classes and the dangers they pose to human health. However, beyond these single chemicals and chemical groups, we are exposed to complex mixtures, and therefore, real world exposure scenarios are much more complex than these baseline toxicity assessments.
Even more, we can categorize EDCs into two different and distinct groups depending on how long they stay in our bodies: short lived, and persistent.
Short lived EDCs metabolize and pass though our bodies fairly quickly (i.e. in hours or a couple days). However, the problem with short lived EDCs is that our exposure to them is chronic and episodic. Meaning we are exposed to them constantly in our everyday life. So despite being flushed out of our bodies fairly quickly, we are soon re-exposed to them through our foods and personal care/cosmetic products. Phthalates, and Phenols (including Bisphenol A (BPA) and Parabens) are all considered short lived EDCs.
Persistent EDCs accumulate in our bodies and stick around for a long time. They are often referred to as Forever Chemicals and can take thousands of years to degrade. PFASs (Perfluorinated compounds) are included in this category.
Chemical Exposure via Plastics
So how are we actually exposed to these chemicals? It’s not like we are actually eating plastics right?!
Plastics are not inert. They leach toxic chemicals into whatever they can! Additionally, some products contain toxic chemicals in the products themselves. We can be exposed to these chemicals from plastics via four different mechanisms. Oral, Inhalation, Transfer, and Dermal exposure. Some examples are listed below.
Oral exposure: consumption of contaminated foods and beverages.
Inhalation exposure: inhalation of dusts and cleaning products.
Transfer exposure: common in pregnancy from mother to fetus via breast milk, amniotic fluid, and the placenta.
Dermal exposure: use of toxic or contaminated cosmetics, deodorants, shampoos, and perfumes.
What can we do about our plastics crisis? How can I protect myself?
Decreasing Exposure to EDCs
There are some things that we as individuals can do to decrease our exposure to these harmful chemicals. Common routes of exposure include food and beverage items, personal care, and cleaning products, and household items. Try to avoid as much plastic as possible, especially in your kitchen or scenarios that involve plastics and heat. Swap synthetic and plastic items for glass, stainless steel, and natural/organic alternatives. Most importantly, become aware!
I’ll go more into all of these topics in future posts but for now, start paying attention to the ingredients and materials of items you purchase. If you don’t know if something is safe, google it! Look for good and reliable sources, like peer-reviewed scientific studies.
Is there anything else we can do? This is exhausting!
With all of this said, at times it can definitely feel hopeless. There have been many times where I’ve asked myself why I do this when the future looks so bleak and there is so much resistance to change. Nothing feels “safe” for our bodies or our planet. The unfortunate truth is that our society is fully reliant on plastic and toxic chemicals that it’s nearly impossible to see a future without it.
Additionally, there is no accountability for plastic production and the chemicals used…like actually no accountability. Intellectual property laws protect companies and formulations. Therefore, scientists and regulation agencies have little knowledge of what actually is being put into products and packaging materials. Additionally, when chemicals do become regulated, one harmful chemical is often just replaced with another more harmful one. So what do we do?
Consumer Choice Matters!
In the grand scheme of things, we need top-down change and strict government policies to fully solve the scope of our plastic crisis. However, in order for this to happen, there needs to be significant support from the people. I believe that stems from individual choices if you have the means to make them and that we as individuals have the power to initiate change. You vote with your dollar and every dollar counts. If we as consumers choose to support brands and products that are clean and plastic free, it will push companies to do and be better.
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world just by being careful in what we buy.”