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Do you wish to help save the planet and promote healthy, green living? – STOP supporting plastic! Easier said than done right? Plastic is everywhere and all too readily available and convenient for use on a daily basis. Plastic is used as the main source of packaging for upwards of 94% of the products we purchase. Everything from personal beauty care supplies like shampoo, deodorant, chapstick, hairspray, among so many others – to household cleaning products such as dish soap, laundry detergent, and everything in between. Not to mention Tupperware containers, children’s toys, and how many hundreds of items packaged in plastic like handheld tools, batteries, gift cards, or food products.

Serious Dangers and Health-Risks of Using Plastic…

• Dangerous Levels of BPA

Bisphenol-A, otherwise known as BPA, is a chemical added to plastic to help make it more durable. Yet what makes this chemical additive dangerous for humans is how it acts as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with hormonal balance in the body in relation to the cells. Possible health effects of excess BPA toxins include certain cancers, birth defects, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, anger, inattention, decreased mental capacity or learning disabilities, reduced sperm count, as well as developmental or behavioral disorders, among many others.

“There is also now abundant research that links BPA and phthalate exposure to such human health concerns as deformities of the male and female genitals; premature puberty in females, decreased sperm quality, and increases in breast and prostate cancers, infertility, miscarriages, obesity, type 2 diabetes, allergies and neurological problems, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” – Journal of The Yale School of Environmental Studies(1)

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), people are exposed to BPA at low levels when eating food or drinking liquids that have been stored in containers made with BPA. During a test of 2,517 participants aged six years and older, scientists found BPA in the urine of nearly all of them, indicating widespread exposure to BPA in the U.S. population alone.(2)

• Toxic Levels of Phthalates

Phthalates are another form of chemical added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, or longevity. They’re so prevalent various levels can even be found in indoor air. The European Union banned the use of phthalate chemicals back in 2005, with many other countries following suit not long thereafter. Yet despite this, many countries continue to pump these chemicals into their products and packaging, putting their citizens at risk of a whole host of negative side-effects and health concerns. This especially includes men and boys, mainly those exposed in utero, who have been subjected to high levels of phthalate toxins. These have been linked to immune system impairment, infertility in men, reduced testosterone, asthma, neural, genital and pubertal development, among other such concerns.(3)

• Scary Planetary Risks

Plastic takes an incredibly long time to break down as it is not easily digestible by the Earth. High levels of plastic pollution are found in areas uninhabited by humans, even including the waters of the Antarctic.(4) A vicious cycle is created once these chemicals are unleashed into the World. According to the Smithsonian…

“Floating debris harms wildlife in a number of ways. For birds and fish, larger pieces are mistaken for food, and consumption of enough plastic can be toxic…

…On a smaller level, UV light and the salt in seawater cause microscopic particles of plastic to emit toxic chemicals such as PCS and DDT. When ingested by many types of marine species, these can be mistaken for estradiol, a sex hormone, causing a variety of symptoms related to endocrine disruption. Additionally, the chemicals tend to bio-accumulate in organisms as they move up the food chain, and can eventually lead to tainted populations of fish that humans regularly consume.”

Other Plastic Problems To Ponder…

♦ About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute.

♦ Plastic bags remain toxic even after they break down.

♦ A single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.

♦ Every square mile of ocean has about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it.

♦ Ten percent of the plastic produced every year worldwide winds up in the ocean. 70% of which finds its way to the ocean floor, where it will likely never degrade. (UN, 2006)

♦ Every year over 6 million tons of rubbish is dumped into the world’s oceans, 80% of which is plastic, and a further 10% of this being plastic bags.

♦ With an estimated 46,000 pieces for every square mile of ocean, plastic is responsible for killing 1 million seabirds and over 100,000 sea mammals each year.

♦ Turtles, whales and seabirds mistake rubbish for food or get entangled in it, resulting in painful injuries, or even death.

♦ When gas, oil, and coal are used to produce plastic bags, they emit dangerous greenhouse gases.

♦ Large amounts of plastic end up in a landfill, also a significant source of greenhouse gases.

♦ Plastic bags are lightweight and moisture resistant, which means they can float easily in air and water, often traveling great distances. Plastic bags can become serial killers. Once a bag is ingested, the animal dies and decomposes, releasing the bag back into the environment to kill again.

♦ Certain chemicals can leach into foods or liquids from the packaging or storage container in use. One such chemical is known as Acrylamide which poses a risk for several types of cancer such as oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, large bowel, kidney, breast, and ovary.(5)

♦ Plastic serves only to fill our landfills and settle upon the ocean floor where they pose a risk to wildlife and the environment. Taking into account their many uses and how readily available plastics have become, it’s difficult to keep them at bay, though not impossible. Consider this list of only a few examples to become more aware of plastic ‘in use’ and consider ways you might better avoid it;

What We Can Do To Make a Change…

As a co-creator species upon this planet, we have become entirely too reliant upon plastic in all it’s many shapes and forms. The boons to its use are simply far too convenient and dependable to consider making too drastic a change too quickly, yet it’s one that’s sorely needed.

It may be easier to think phasing out plastic doesn’t apply to you, but the unfortunate truth is that so few of us take it seriously. This is likely due to the mass consumption and use of plastic on such a mass scale. It’s easy to forget just how harmful it is when we’re surrounded by it and rely on its use almost every day, in some way or another.

To help wean yourself off plastic dependency, start with small changes. Refuse plastic bags and dinnerware and opt for reusable ones instead. Reduce plastic refuse by composting as often as possible and making home-made meals or baked goods with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Reuse drinking containers such as those made of glass or that are BPA-free. Recycle as much plastic as you’re able, a temporary solution to quitting plastic dependency, yet one that is better than disregarding its use altogether.

Refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic to help limit its waste and heal the planet. ♥

Sources:

(1) http://environment.yale.edu/magazine/fall2009/the-problem-with-plastics/

(2) http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/pdf/BisphenolA_FactSheet.pdf

(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3747651/

(4) http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/high-levels-of-plastic-and-debris-found-in-waters-off-of-antarctica-58721328/?no-ist

(5) http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/acrylamide-fact-sheet

Image: http://cdn1.famvin.org/en/files/2015/02/Plastic-bottles.jpg

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