Plastics - how badly do we need them?

[Braininvat]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals

Opening a thread for discussion of all public health matters relating to plastics and toxins that leach from plastics (e.g. endocrine disruptors).

[zetreque]

Does this post have anything to do with the country of Kenya banning plastic recently and the major push to ban it around the world?

Kenya brings in world's toughest plastic bag ban: four years jail or $40,000 fine
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/28/kenya-brings-in-worlds-toughest-plastic-bag-ban-four-years-jail-or-40000-fine

[Braininvat]

Wow. Good for Kenya! I had to laugh at the business guy whining:

“The knock-on effects will be very severe,” Matonda said. “It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market – how will their customers carry their shopping home?”

This is Africa, dude. You really think people have forgotten how to carry stuff around without plastic bags?

[Watson]

Good for us, Canada.
But the plastics industry can get the right poll results based on the right questions being asked, and notice the popularity of recycling in the results. The just had an advertising campaign telling people not to put plastic bags in the recycle, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT RECYCLABLE??
I recall a very popular push to ban plastic and use paper or cloth bags. Good job on the plastic people to squash that effort before it caught on.


http://www.allaboutbags.ca/canadaupdate.html

[Braininvat]

There's just not the recycling infrastructure to keep up with the increasing productions of plastic water bottles and other forms of plastic. The Guardian seems to be doing a lot of coverage of the plastic pollution situation....

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/08/sea-salt-around-world-contaminated-by-plastic-studies

There's also a link on that page to an article about your fellow Canadian, Margaret Atwood, warning about the hazard of plastic.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jun/03/plastics-poisoning-500th-anniversary-reformation-petrochemical-polymers

We do really need more research on what plastic does in the GI tracts of various species, including ours. To what degree are tiiny fibers penetrating intestinal villi? Can bits penetrate cell walls, mess with cellular machinery?

[mitchellmckain]

I have two reactions.

1. Don't we have enough really bad things to worry about without distracting everyone with something not actually known to be a problem? "Borrowing problems" as well as "paranoia" are terms which come to mind.

2. What about proteins in the water? Is anyone testing for proteins? Don't you know that one protein, botulinus toxin is so bad that it takes only nanograms per kilogram body weight in order to kill you. LOL The point is, of course, that it is just as silly to lump all plastics together as it is to lump together all proteins.

That said, let's point out some of the problems known regarding toxicity with regards to plastics.

At this site we learn that 29% of 55 plastics studied are made of monomers that are classified either as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction. These monomers often leach from the plastic because there are frequently monomers left over which don't get incorporated into the plastic molecules.

And here is a site dedicated to helping people avoid plastics in your food. My impression is that this is so difficult that I am not inclined to make any effort in this direction.

[zetreque]

I have two reactions.

1. Don't we have enough really bad things to worry about without distracting everyone with something not actually known to be a problem?

I guess you are not a beach goer.

[Braininvat]

I would think the low sperm count effect would get most people to bump up plastics in their priorities. Ditto phytoplankton death - oxygen is kind of important to species survival. Most catastrophes don't knock on the door and say, "Ah, I see you have plenty of other ecological problems to worry about, so I'll come back in a couple millenia."

I had switched to buying juice in the waxed paper cartons, but it turns out they have lining material that's leaching nasty stuff, too. I guess frozen concentrate is probably the best option, right now. Also lower carbon footprint, since you aren't lugging the weight of all the water across the continent.

[zetreque]

I did the frozen juice concentrate then used glass lemon-aid containers for a while to make it until I gave up all juice period.