The Internet and other mdia outlets are full of information about plastics and their effects on our health and our planet. Here are just a few bits to consider...

“Think about it, why would you make something that you’re going to use for a few minutes out of a material that’s basically going to last forever, and you’re just going to throw it away. What’s up with that?”

- Jeb Berrier

Impact on Our Health

There are many dangers involved with bisphenol A and phthalates, two additives commonly used in plastic. BPA makes plastic hard and phthalates make plastic soft. BPA and phthalates are two plastic additives that are known endocrine disruptors. We all come into contact with these toxic chemicals through our foods, personal care products, and plastic containers every day.

BPA has the characteristics of estrogen, a hormone that determines sexual traits and is key in the development of brain function and nerve cells. Recent studies have linked BPA to breast and prostate cancer, enlargement of the prostate, early onset of puberty, hyperactivity in children, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Phthalates are not only are used to soften plastic, but are oily substances used in cosmetics, perfumes, and many beauty products. Phthalates are conveniently labeled on common household products as "fragrance." That new car smell or brand new shower curtain smell is the pungent odor of the release of phthalates into the air. Studies have found low levels of phthalates to cause infertility, lower sperm count, and smaller penis size.

Biologists studying BPA and phthalates are in agreement over the harmful effects of both chemicals. These chemicals are now proven to be toxic, endocrine-disrupting, hormonal-changing, and disease- causing. Do your best to avoid them by reading labels, using reusable bottles made from stainless steel, and seeking out BPA and phthalates-free products.

Learn more at the TEDX site.

Plastic in our Oceans & Waterways

"The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an area of the Pacific Ocean created by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. It's a plastic soup that has concentrations in some areas of plastic 40 times greater than that of plankton. That means there is 40 times more plastic than food for the marine animals to eat. Scientists estimate its size as twice the area Texas to the size of the continental United States.

80% of the plastic and trash that finds its way into our oceans comes from the land. It takes about five years for garbage from the west coast of the US to make it to the gyre and about one year from Asia. Plastic debris in the ocean doesn't biodegrade. It photodegrades, meaning sunlight and water beak it down to smaller and smaller pieces that are mistaken for food by fish, sea birds and marine mammals.

Over 260 species of marine animals are affected by plastic debris in the ocean, either by ingestion or entanglement. Laysan Albatross, sea turtles, monk seals, whales and many species of fish have been found with large amounts of plastic in their stomachs. Plastic floating in the water pollutants like PCB's and DDT."

 - Bag It!

The Algalita Marine Research Foundation is dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its watersheds through research, education, and restoration.

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 - Source: The Story of Stuff

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Bag It!

(Shocking!) Plastic Bottle Facts

• Consumers spend an average of $500 per year on bottled water. Just think how quickly a durable reusable bottle will pay for itself!
• 100,000 cars could be operated for 1 year on the oil that is required to make 1 year's worth of disposable plastic bottles.
• Each bottle uses roughly 1/3 its volume in oil to produce and transport it to store shelves. And, each bottle uses roughly 5 times its volume for recycling (if it even gets recycled).
• Only 1 in 10 bottles is actually recycled. The rest end up in our landfills and waterways.
• Most bottled water is no purer than local tap water.
• Every square mile of the ocean has 46,000 pieces of floating plastic in it. (UN, 2006)
• 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)
• When plastics break down, they don't biodegrade, they photodegrade. This means the materials break down to smaller fragments. These readily absorb toxins which contaminate soil, waterways, and animals upon digestion.
• Refuse plastic absorbs pre-existing organic pollutants, including Bisphenol A (BPA) and polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs).
• Plastic pieces can attract and hold hydrophobic elements like PCB and DDT up to one-million times background levels. As a result, floating plastic is like a poison pill. (Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
• Approximately 500 nautical miles off the California coast sits a growing "plastic island," a gargantuan patch of floating plastic trash held together by currents stretching across the northern Pacific almost as far as Japan. This "plastic island" is made up of about 7 billion pounds of plastic garbage, and measures about twice the size of Texas.
• Each year, enough trash - most of it plastics - floats down the Los Angeles River to fill the Rose Bowl two stories deep. (Los Angeles Times, "Altered Oceans")
• Of 500,000 albatross chicks born each year on Midway Atoll, about 200,000 die of starvation. Adult albatrosses mistake plastic trash for food and end up feeding it to their chicks. (L.A. Times)
• Since water keeps the plastic cool and algae blocks ultraviolet rays, "every little piece of plastic manufactured in the past 50 years that made it into the ocean is still out there somewhere." (Research Triangle Institute)