OSEA Safety Blog

Say "No!" to Plastics

Monday, March 11, 2019 Julia Costa

I’m sure you’ve heard about it several times, from your elders especially. Plastics are extremely damaging to, not only Earth, but also to the human body. There’s multiple reasons for this, including BPA, harm to wildlife, and the inevitable expiration date of our planet. To make a difference in the world today, we have to start researching the damaging affects of plastics and eliminate them altogether.

A close up of a turtleDescription automatically generatedTo start, let’s cover one of the biggest human affects of plastics; BPA, or Bisphenol A. BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen found in many products sold in our stores. Since the 1960’s, companies have used BPA to make certain plastic products and resins. The plastic products BPA is found in are epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, or plastics that store food and beverages. These include water bottles, plastic bags, some saran wraps, and even canned food! Some health concerns found by research that can be product of BPA exposure are increased blood pressure, behavior gland of fetuses, and effects on the brain. In addition, BPA has also been found to harm brain development for fetuses in the womb. If mothers use too many products with this harmful chemical in them, can cause hyperactivity and anxiety if they happen to have a daughter. No clear reason for why boys don’t has not been found.

In addition to BPA, plastics cause a huge harm to wildlife. We see it talked about nearly everyday on the internet. Pictures of turtles caught in six pack plastic rings or plastic bags suffocating Earth’s animals. This comes from littering and from plastics not being recycled. Plastics are not biodegradable and do not decompose easily. Instead, it sits in the bellies of whales, around the necks of birds, and entangled around the bodies of turtles. Although this seems like such a small problem to some of us (out of sight out of mind), there are many organizations fighting to fix our mistakes.

Although you may think your footprint can not possibly make such a difference, you are wrong. If our society can keep taking steps to stop using plastics, we can start to help our environment. There are multiple ways you can decrease your plastic footprint:

  • Eliminate as much plastic as possible from your everyday routine.
    • Use a refillable water bottle instead of using dozens of plastic water bottles.
    • Rely more on Tupperware containers instead of plastic bags and saran wrap.
    • Don’t use straws
    • Use reusable bags when shopping at the store.
  • Support companies who are doing their best at cleaning up our mess. Some examples include:

Sources:

http://www.center4research.org/plastic-wrap-plastic-food-containers-safe/

https://findingnature.co.uk/why-plastics-are-bad/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331

https://www.goodnet.org/articles/5-incredible-organizations-that-are-making-worlds-oceans-cleaner

https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/plastic

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