Plastic World

As some of you know, I've been on an anti-plastic campaign during the past couple of years. It all began when I started to research recycled plastic lumber (plumber) for use in the education garden at Drumlin Farm. It continued with an article in the Boston Globe about huge concentrations of PCBs in the breast milk of Inuit mothers up in the arctic. Currently I am scared out of my mind by how much plastic is in the ocean and washing up on the beach around my office (some estimate that beaches are now 20% plastic! so much for rocks and sand...), and how many dangerous chemical compounds are bouncing around in our bottled/plastic-lined canned/packaged/processed/bagged food supply. Plastic recycling is helping to break down and release more of these compounds into the environment every second, (thanks, entropy) so it isn't solving much of the problem.

Plastic is pretty scary stuff, when you start to understand what it is made of and how prevalent it is. And every bit that has ever been made is still here, slowly breaking into brittle bits to be eaten by critters, turning into beaches, leaching up the food chain, trickling into the water supply. No wonder my environmental chemistry class in college was all about poly-carbon reactions.We're not throwing it all into landfills or dumping barge upon barge of plastic at sea, but all of that is still out there, and it is making a big impact.

Our Stolen Future has some good research and updates on the issues of cancer, breast feeding, and other research being done. Agalita is an organization I'm working with to educate kids about the "garbage patch" in the Pacific and has some great info. on marine impacts of plastics. And the Ecology Center has out out a simple info sheet on health effects of plastics.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Plastic	Common               Uses	Adverse               Health Effects
Polyvinyl               chloride               (#3PVC)	Food               packaging, plastic wrap, containers for toiletries, cosmetics, crib               bumpers, floor tiles, pacifiers, shower curtains, toys, water pipes,               garden hoses, auto upholstery, inflatable swimming pools	Can cause cancer, birth defects, genetic changes, chronic bronchitis,               ulcers, skin diseases, deafness, vision failure, indigestion, and               liver dysfunction
Phthalates               (DEHP,               DINP,               and others)	Softened               vinyl products manufactured with phthalates include vinyl clothing,               emulsion paint, footwear, printing inks, non-mouthing toys and children’s               products, product packaging and food wrap, vinyl flooring, blood               bags and tubing, IV containers and components, surgical gloves,               breathing tubes, general purpose labware, inhalation masks, many               other medical devices	Endocrine               disruption, linked to asthma, developmental and reporoductive effects.               Medical waste with PVC and pthalates is regularly incinerated causing               public health effects from the relese of dioxins and mercury, including               cancer, birth defects, hormonal changes, declining sperm counts,               infertility, endometriosis, and immune system impairment.
Polystyrene	Many               food containers for meats, fish, cheeses, yogurt, foam and clear               clamshell containers, foam and rigid plates, clear bakery containers,               packaging "peanuts", foam packaging, audio cassette housings,               CD cases, disposable cutlery, building insulation, flotation devices,               ice buckets, wall tile, paints, serving trays, throw-away hot drink               cups, toys	Can               irritate eyes, nose and throat and can cause dizziness and unconsciousness.               Migrates into food and stores in body fat. Elevated rates of lymphatic               and hematopoietic cancers for workers.
Polyethelyne               (#1 PET)	Water               and soda bottles, carpet fiber, chewing gum, coffee stirrers, drinking               glasses, food containers and wrappers, heat-sealed plastic packaging,               kitchenware, plastic bags, squeeze bottles, toys	Suspected               human carcinogen
Polyester	Bedding,               clothing, disposable diapers, food packaging, tampons, upholstery	Can               cause eye and respiratory-tract irritation and acute skin rashes
Urea-               formaldehyde	Particle               board, plywood, building insulation, fabric finishes	Formaldehyde               is a suspected carcinogen and has been shown to cause birth defects               and genetic changes. Inhaling formaldehyde can cause cough, swelling               of the throat, watery eyes, breathing problems, headaches, rashes,               tiredness
Polyurethane               Foam	Cushions,               mattresses, pillows	Bronchitis,               coughing, skin and eye problems. Can release toluene diisocyanate               which can produce severe lung problems
Acrylic	Clothing,               blankets, carpets made from acrylic fibers, adhesives, contact lenses,               dentures, floor waxes, food preparation equipment, disposable diapers,               sanitary napkins, paints	Can               cause breathing difficulties, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, weakness,               headache and fatigue
Tetrafluoro-               ethelyne	Non-stick               coating on cookware, clothes irons, ironing board covers, plumbing               and tools	Can               irritate eyes, nose and throat and can cause breathing difficulties

The biggest, and easiest action you can take is to get plastic water bottles out of your life. Hell, the wate in them isn't any cleaner than your tap anyway (most times it is actually worse.) Even Nalgenes are on their way out, an aluminum bottle is the way to go. Then work on the other stuff...and if you have to use it, at least re-use it or recycle it. I'm learning to get adept at hunting down glass and aluminum food storage containers and bringing my own bags everywhere. And when I have kids, no plastic toys to chew on. I still haven't figured out how to eliminate the plastic bulk food bags...any ideas?