Sadly, the bad news about plastic and our health keeps coming. 

We McSisters have provided many blogs about the health impacts of single-use plastic and the chemicals used to make that plastic.  Our friend Dr. Jenny Davies at www.CafeteriaCulture.org published a summary of studies explaining why plastic is considered a hazardous substance that is making us sick.  As Cafeteria Culture points out: “Commonly used plastic packaging & foodware (bottles, plates, cups, utensils, wrap) leak thousands of mostly unknown & untested toxic chemicals into our food.” 

Inside Climate News is another source of information about the state of our climate, including the impact of plastics on our climate.  In their newsletter published on February 17, 2024, Inside Climate News Science group has published from their collaborating partner “Living on Earth”, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Dr. Leonard Trasande, director of New York University’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards.  The topic of the interview is “Q&A: Everyday Plastics are Making Us Sick- and Costing Us $250 Billion a Year in Healthcare”.  Dr. Trasande explains why two hundred and fifty billion is “the annual health and economic cost of toxins in plastics in the United States, from plastics found everywhere – in food packaging, clothing, furniture, cookware and even nail polish.  They’ve come to permeate our environment so thoroughly that some have started calling our time the ‘Plasticene’.”

Among the chemicals discussed in the interview with Dr. Trasande are brominated flame retardants that impact thyroid hormones; phthalates that impact metabolism, sex hormone function, and fertility; bisphenols that impact fat distribution; and the “forever chemicals” (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFOS and PFAS) that contribute to cancers and impair cognitive function.

The New York University’s studies provide more reason to do as much as you can to stop using single-use plastic.

What can you do?

• Read the full interview with Dr. Trasande:  https://www.loe.org/index.html

•  Read excellent paper:  “Plastic is a Hazardous Substance” Public and Environmental Health Director
  Special Projects Coordinator, CafeteriaCulture.org. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y8s7NDrA480HoVHPzSAJ2sJqD5ASjo4Z/view?usp=share_link

• Stop using single-use plastic as much as you can – for your health. See tips throughout our blog.

•  Advocate with your local, state, and federal governments.  Urge your U.S. Senator to co-sponsor S.3440 – The Farewell to Foam Act of 2023 – that would prohibit the sale and distribution of polystyrene food service ware, loose fill, coolers, and other purposes.  And urge your Representative to so-sponsor H.R. 6654 – the identical bill in the House of Representative. You can send a message through your representative’s or Senator’s website and request they co-sponsor the bill and why it is important to you!

•  Read these articles:https://www.npr.org/2024/02/15/1231690415/plastic-recycling-waste-oil-fossil-fuels-climate-change and https://www.commondreams.org/news/plastics-industry-lie-recycling?utm_source=Common+Dreams&utm_campaign=ff06285f10-Week+in+Review%3A+Sat.+2%2F17%2F24+W%2F+Fundraiser&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-ff06285f10-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D