#community health

lazeotrope:

deluxetrashqueen:

So, there’s apparently research coming out now about microplastics being found in people’s bloodstreams and the possible negative effects of that and I feel the need to get out ahead of the wave of corporate sponsored “be sure to recycle your bottles!” or “ban glitter!” campaigns and remind everyone:

It’s fishing nets. It’s fishing nets. It is overwhelming fishing nets It always has been fishing nets.Unless regulations are changed, it will continue to be fishing nets.

The plastic in the ocean in largely discarded nets from industrial fishing. The microplastics are the result of these nets breaking down. The “trash islands” are also, you guessed it. Mostly fishing nets and other discarded fishing industry equipment.

Do not allow them to continue to twist the story. Do not come after disabled people who require single use plastics. Do not come after people using glitter in art projects and makeup. These things make up a negligible amount of the issue compared to corporate waste, specifically in the fishing industry. Do not let them shift the blame to the individual so they can continue to destroy the planet and our bodies without regulation.

While fishing nets and other human activity on the ocean (yep, it’s oil drilling) is a significant contributor, 80% of marine MPs originate from terrestrial sources. Large sources of MPs include tires, single-use plastic bags and packaging (a particularly bad one), wastewater from washing clothing, and personal care products such as facial cleansers. So yes, our daily use of disposable plastics is harming the environment, and yes, the choices we make do hold weight. Also, your choices as a consumer influence how companies formulate ingredients. Boycotting companies that continue to formulate with MP-producing material does go a long way. It has worked in the past 10 years for other compounds such as triclosan (remember when everything was ‘antimicrobial’ and then stopped?) . When in doubt, reduce. Reuse if necessary, and remember that recycling is ineffective if you’re in the US because China won’t take our trash anymore. All that is not to say that industry should not take a large portion of the blame, but everyday use is not an insignificant culprit in the proliferation of microplastics.

And before anyone goes off on me, I do have a medical condition that does mean I have to use single use plastic. It doesn’t make me feel happy about my plastic consumption, but there isn’t much I can do in order to change that. Just do your best. If everyone cut down on what they could, things would be better than what they were going to be otherwise.

I don’t usually go off on posts, but I am a chemical engineering graduate student who is currently studying under a professor whose research is on marine microplastics, nanoplastics, and surfactants (think BP oil spill). Please, please don’t take me or OP at our words. In fact, a lot of newspapers are just not that good in properly conveying scientific information. If you want to be well-informed, there are plenty of scientific articles published in well-respected, peer-reviewed scientific journals. They aren’t a difficult read for a layperson, especially not the introduction.

Also, because people keep mentioning legos in the notes, as long as you’re not throwing them away, sticking them in your dishwasher, or chewing on them, it’s basically nothing compared to plastic bags and water bottles. They usually need high temperatures, uv radiation, and physical agitation to produce microplastics, so they’re probably gonna be fine.

Also, microplastics contaminate soil, food, drinking water, and air. So, seafood is not the biggest risk factor - most of the microplastic in our blood comes through the consumption of plastic-sealed food and water. Tap water and most produce typically contains very low concentrations of MPs in comparison to plastic-wrapped food. Parents should consider opting for safer toys and clothes for their toddlers. Children have a disproportionately high yearly MP consumption for their size because of chewing and sucking on plastic toys. We have found that microplastics can even be present in the human placenta, so anyone who is pregnant should consider cutting down on the amount of plastic they consume.

Sorry for the long rant, I just really want people to know more about this topic and to look to scientists for information. Please fact check me and correct me if I’m wrong. We all need to talk about this stuff a lot more, so I’m glad OP brought it up.