It has been a while since I have posted, but I am feeling especially motivated to write more on the topic of plastics. Thanks to Surfrider Foundation and Somerville Climate Action, I was finally able to attend a screening of "Bag It." This was a great film that examined every intersection between plastics and the impacts they have on humans and the environment. I was very excited to learn that the filmmaker, Jeb Berrier, is a graduate of Shady Hill School, right here in Cambridge, MA! I was especially intrigued by two issues after watching the movie: 1. How we (U.S. citizens) perceive the role of plastics in our lives and 2. Where is the future of plastics manufacturing and recycling going?
Perception:
Plastics have undoubtedly made profound advancements in all aspects of our lives. One part of "Bag It" that I didn't totally agree with was the claim that our great-grandparents got along just fine without plastic, so why can't we? Well, plastics have enabled the rapid growth in technology that we all enjoy and rely on in our daily professional and personal lives. The medical field uses plastics that were not available to our great-grandparents for life-saving equipment and diagnostic procedures. With my applaud to the good that plastic brings us, I don't agree that we should be using it in such a disposable manner.
As evidenced by the U.S. plastic bottle recycling rate in 2010 of 12%, not all of us care about disposing of plastics. The man at my corner store is perplexed when I say I don't need a bag; "But it's free!" he says. So, there is that perception. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are people who worry about the health effects of plastic exposures on the most sensitive members of our population: fetuses. "Bag It" gives a comprehensive look at the many components of our plastic items, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), on development and reproduction. (By the way, BPA makes plastics hard, and phthalates make plastics soft). I thought this was a great introduction to the health concerns of plastic in our bodies. Many of the chemically complex components of our plastic goods that we don't think twice about (or have never heard of) were discussed. A well-known toxicologist, Dr. Colborn, was featured to talk about a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors, which will have to be another post all together. It was a compelling review; after the movie a fellow viewer suggested that these chemical producers pay rent for having their products hang out in our body for so long! My only concern is that the movie's listed associations of plastics and diseases/disorders, such as asthma and autism, will propagate unfounded fears in its viewers. I have not seen any evidence that establishes a causal relationship between plastic and asthma or autism. However, this is not to say there aren't true developmental concerns that have been observed in laboratory animals, and have reason to be pertinent to humans.
Alas, we have to remember that everything is a balance. For instance, an important consideration in the widely criticized use of BPA in canned goods is that there hasn't been a single case of botulism in commercially canned foods since it became commonplace, nearly 50 years ago. For those who may not know, botulism is a paralytic illness that can be caused by bacteria in improperly sterilized preserved foods. And for those who do home canning at home, this is why we boil the jars of sauce or jelly!
Future Directions:
What are we going to do with all this plastic? Recycling abilities vary from town to town, meaning that many number 3-7 plastics go straight in the garbage because the recycling technologies are still limited it many parts of the U.S. The plastics that are recycled often just have one more life before their ultimate fate in a landfill (or the ocean). Bottles become incorporated into carpets and fleece goods. Some number 5 plastics are turned into toothbrushes. I was heartened to recently hear that recycled "lumber" can be made from any type of plastic - not sure how this works, high heat and pressure? What this comes down to is that we need a better plan for the life cycle of plastic. Germany and Japan re-use their plastic soda bottles (PET) over and over; they are simply sterilized and re-filled for consumption. That is certainly a start! I am looking forward to do more research into the cooperation of manufacturing and recycling. Maybe if these two industries had common engineering, we'd experience a much more friendly and efficient reduction, reuse, and recycling culture.
Perception:
Plastics have undoubtedly made profound advancements in all aspects of our lives. One part of "Bag It" that I didn't totally agree with was the claim that our great-grandparents got along just fine without plastic, so why can't we? Well, plastics have enabled the rapid growth in technology that we all enjoy and rely on in our daily professional and personal lives. The medical field uses plastics that were not available to our great-grandparents for life-saving equipment and diagnostic procedures. With my applaud to the good that plastic brings us, I don't agree that we should be using it in such a disposable manner.
As evidenced by the U.S. plastic bottle recycling rate in 2010 of 12%, not all of us care about disposing of plastics. The man at my corner store is perplexed when I say I don't need a bag; "But it's free!" he says. So, there is that perception. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are people who worry about the health effects of plastic exposures on the most sensitive members of our population: fetuses. "Bag It" gives a comprehensive look at the many components of our plastic items, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), on development and reproduction. (By the way, BPA makes plastics hard, and phthalates make plastics soft). I thought this was a great introduction to the health concerns of plastic in our bodies. Many of the chemically complex components of our plastic goods that we don't think twice about (or have never heard of) were discussed. A well-known toxicologist, Dr. Colborn, was featured to talk about a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors, which will have to be another post all together. It was a compelling review; after the movie a fellow viewer suggested that these chemical producers pay rent for having their products hang out in our body for so long! My only concern is that the movie's listed associations of plastics and diseases/disorders, such as asthma and autism, will propagate unfounded fears in its viewers. I have not seen any evidence that establishes a causal relationship between plastic and asthma or autism. However, this is not to say there aren't true developmental concerns that have been observed in laboratory animals, and have reason to be pertinent to humans.
Alas, we have to remember that everything is a balance. For instance, an important consideration in the widely criticized use of BPA in canned goods is that there hasn't been a single case of botulism in commercially canned foods since it became commonplace, nearly 50 years ago. For those who may not know, botulism is a paralytic illness that can be caused by bacteria in improperly sterilized preserved foods. And for those who do home canning at home, this is why we boil the jars of sauce or jelly!
Future Directions:
What are we going to do with all this plastic? Recycling abilities vary from town to town, meaning that many number 3-7 plastics go straight in the garbage because the recycling technologies are still limited it many parts of the U.S. The plastics that are recycled often just have one more life before their ultimate fate in a landfill (or the ocean). Bottles become incorporated into carpets and fleece goods. Some number 5 plastics are turned into toothbrushes. I was heartened to recently hear that recycled "lumber" can be made from any type of plastic - not sure how this works, high heat and pressure? What this comes down to is that we need a better plan for the life cycle of plastic. Germany and Japan re-use their plastic soda bottles (PET) over and over; they are simply sterilized and re-filled for consumption. That is certainly a start! I am looking forward to do more research into the cooperation of manufacturing and recycling. Maybe if these two industries had common engineering, we'd experience a much more friendly and efficient reduction, reuse, and recycling culture.
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