Avoiding Plastic: Plastic is Not Only Ruining the Planet, It is Harming Your Health
Six years ago, when I retired from a non-profit position that I held for thirty years, I searched for a problem that needed solving. After researching for months, I determined that plastic pollution was the most significant threat to the planet and to human life. I felt that we can adjust to global warming, but that we cannot adjust to trillions of plastic particles everywhere on the planet and in our bodies.
I have spent six years researching the harm that plastic causes, and I have written four books on plastic pollution: Plastic Pollution Solution, 50 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution, Avoiding Plastic and The Age of Plastic (a children's book). I have been an environmental lawyer for decades, working for the Natural Resources Defense Council and representing the Sierra Club. I won a successful environmental case at the United State Supreme Court.
After reviewing studies from the National Institutes of Health, and consulting renowned scientists in the United States and Europe, I learned that plastic is now in our brains, in the air, in our bloodstream, our hearts, lungs and sexual organs. I did not realize that we are poisoning ourselves.
Get Rid of Your Plastic Cutting Boards
The first thing that I did was to throw out several plastic cutting boards. When you chop food on a plastic cutting board, you chip many plastic particles into your food.
I learned that plastic water bottles contain thousands of plastic microparticles. So, I stopped drinking water from plastic bottles and containers and bought a stainless-steel water bottle.
Tea Bags Made Out of Plastic
I also learned that many tea bags are now made out of plastic. The tea companies do not disclose this on their packaging. My wife had been drinking a certain type of tea for many years and did not realize that plastic tea bags, when heated, release thousands of microplastic particles into the tea. She cut up the tea bags and used the tea leaves to make tea, throwing away the tea bags. I threatenedd the tea companies with a lawsuit and forced many of them to stop using plastic tea bags and to go back to paper and silk tea bags.
Keurig Coffee Makers
Do you know that Keurig coffee makers with plastic K-cups, flood your body with millions of plastic particles? When heated, plastic cups release many plastic particles. There is one company that now make aluminum K-cups that fit you Keurig machine. That company is Cambria. Their pods fit into Keurig coffeemakers.
Another alternative is Nespresso. These are the machines promoted by George Clooney. Nespresso uses aluminum pods for heating coffee, much better than plastic pods.
Black Plastic
Have you seen commercials for meal kits in black plastic containers? Black plastic is the worst type of plastic. Black plastic contains more contaminants than other plastics because of how it is made. Heating black plastic releases heavy metals and other contaminants into your food. Avoid heating any plastic containers in the microwave oven.
Dental Health
I always thought that brushing and flossing your teeth was good for you. We get plastic particles in our mouth and bodies from plastic bristles on toothbrushes. I did not know that most dental floss was made out of plastic or Teflon tape. Using Teflon floss can be harmful to your heath. The good news is that there are reasonable alternatives. I am now using silk floss—I love it and it really cleans my teeth well. I am using natural bristles toothbrushes. I have replaced the heads on my electric toothbrush with natural fiber heads.
Takeaways
You can make a difference. Plastic pollution is one cause for the disappearance of bees. We need bees to pollinate the food that we eat. Einstein warned that once the bees are gone, that humans will have only four years to live. Plastic pollution is also causing a decline in the human population by drastically lowering sperm counts. Once you understand the dangers of plastic to humans, you can work with organizations, companies and legislators to reduce plastic pollution. You can teach your children to reduce plastic pollution and persuade our schools to teach about plastics and alternatives to plastics.
