Our Oceans are Turning Into Plastic
Dr. Mercola
May 29, 2007A plastic “stew” that’s twice the size of Texas is swirling through the Pacific Ocean. Scientists have dubbed the mass of plastic bags, jugs, bottles, nets and other plastic junk the “Eastern Garbage Patch,” and its volume is growing at an alarming pace.
The plastic pollution is now inevitably entering the food chain, with the most obvious casualties seabirds and other marine animals who ingest the various junk bottle caps, cigarette lighters and more, or become entangled or strangled by plastic bands and bags. The plastic causes more than 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals, and even more fish to die in the North Pacific alone every year.
Disturbing as those statistics may sound, the following finding is even more chilling: When the researchers tested the ocean water, they found that it contained miniscule pieces of plastic, and, by weight, actually contained six times as much plastic as plankton.
Of course, it’s not just marine animals that are subject to this plastic burden. People, too, are ingesting plastics every day, and being exposed to a potentially deadly mix of plastic chemicals and additives, including:
* Cancer-causing PFOAs
* PBDEs, which cause reproductive problems
* The reproductive toxins, phthalates
* BPA, which disrupts the endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen
What is the result of mankind breathing, eating, drinking and absorbing all of this plastic? Obesity, declining fertility rates and other reproductive problems, cancer and more.
If you’re still looking for a reason to adopt a more natural, healthy lifestyle, this one is as good as any. Avoid these dangerous plastic chemicals in your life as much as possible by
* Storing your food in glass, not plastic
* Avoiding processed foods (which are stored in bags with chemicals)
* Giving up on plastic shopping bags
* Not drinking bottled water
Best Life Magazine February 20, 2007
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
I am a major fan of technology and all the benefits it provides, but it just sickens me to see how these chemicals are ruining the planet.
Plastic pollution is now inevitably entering the food chain, and it's not just marine animals that are being affected. People, too, are ingesting minute levels of plastics every day, and being exposed to a potentially deadly mix of plastic chemicals and additives, including:
* Cancer-causing PFOAs
* PBDEs, which cause reproductive problems
* The reproductive toxins, phthalates
* BPA, which disrupts the endocrine system by mimicking the female hormone estrogen
One fact that should alarm you -- while the EPA has had everything in place to develop a screening program for endocrine disruptors since 1996, thanks to the Food Quality Protection Act, not one test has been conducted to date. In the meantime, the EPA keeps on approving chemicals at a clip of some 700 annually, relying heavily on the manufacturers that make them to be completely honest about their safety.
What is the result of mankind breathing, eating, drinking and absorbing all of this plastic?
Obesity, declining fertility rates and other reproductive problems, cancer and more. Particularly vulnerable are our children, who are exposed to plastics in the hospital, and through baby bottles and toys.
If you're still looking for a reason to adopt a more natural, healthy lifestyle, this one is as good as any. Avoid these dangerous plastic chemicals in your life as much as possible by:
* Storing your food in glass, not plastic
* Avoiding processed foods (which are stored in bags with chemicals)
* Giving up on plastic shopping bags
* Not drinking bottled water
Giving up bottled water is one of the easiest things you can do to help protest the mess that we are in and that is only growing worse every day.