Smorgasbord Health Column – Plastics invading our bodies and its impact on our planet by Sally Cronin

Plastics invading our bodies and its impact on our planet

Plastic water bottles, food containers and the insides of many of our canned goods, have been in the news for a long time. Since the 1960’s when we moved away from glass for containers we have been ingesting leached substances from the new and modern alternative. Plastic was heralded as the clean, disposable and convenient way to package and store our food. Most of us are likely to come out of the supermarket with at least bottled water sold to us in handy packs of 6, 12 or 24. Plenty for all the family.

This latest study, although not huge does raise a very interesting issue. Whilst we may have had limited exposure to plastics as children in the 50s and 60s, the generations born in the 80s have certainly borne the brunt of the plastic epidemic. Milk, juices, fruit cordials, tomato sause all came in glass containers and I made a pretty penny collecting and returning bottles to augment my pocket money.

I have moved away from most packaged foods including in house baked bread, vegetables which I buy loose and meat and fish from the fresh counters. We do filter our drinking water but as with everyone else when buying mineral water the options are very limited to plastic.

I am not intending to be alarmist but I do suggest that you take a look around your kitchen and also check out your next shopping trolley. Especially if you have children or teenagers. Just how much plastic are they being exposed to. Particularly if they drink a lot of soft drinks or water in plastic bottles.

Gender-bending chemicals found in plastic and linked to breast and prostate cancer are found in 86% of teenagers’ bodies

Almost 90 per cent of teenagers have gender-bending chemicals from plastic in their bodies, according to a study.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic containers and water bottles, on the inside of food cans and in till receipts.

The chemical, used since the 1960s to make certain types of plastic, mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen, and has been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.

A study by the University of Exeter, whose researchers tested urine samples from 94 teenagers, found 86 per cent had traces of BPA in their body. 

Read the rest of the article:Gender-bending chemicals found in plastic and linked to breast and prostate cancer are found in 86% of teenagers’ bodies

Image Pixabay.com

Another more recent article adds more concerns particular as plastic containers age and have been used frequently.

Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a chemical that, according to the United States Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has been used for years in the production of certain plastics to make them more durable and shatter-resistant. Unfortunately, BPA can also make them potential health hazards.

In human studies, BPA exposure has been associated with a higher risk of a wide range of health conditions or issues, such as infertility, altered fetal growth of the fetus, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and aggression among children, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and heart disease, said Laura Vandenberg, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  CNN

What is interesting is that the FDA and some of the medical sites debunk this as myth and that cooking in plastic containers and using foods stored in plastic is completely safe and has their seal of approval.  Having seen so many U-turns on many issues both by the FDA and the UK medical council, especially after long-term usage of a drug or other product, it is my view that their assurances should be taken with more than a pinch of salt.

Apart from our own health it is now clear that the oceans and our wildlife are also at risk of permanent damage from our use of plastics which in many countries is simply tossed into the ground or into the sea.

Image Pixabay.com

Plastic is durable and when you see the average lifespan it definitely underlines the issues of disposal.

Plastic Water Bottle – 450 years
Disposable Diapers – 500 years
Plastic 6-Pack Collar – 450 Years
Extruded Polystyrene Foam – over 5,000 years

Plastic production has sharply increased over the last 70 years. In 1950, the world produced just two million tonnes. It now produces over 450 million tonnes.

Plastic has added much value to our lives: it’s a cheap, versatile, and sterile material used in various applications, including construction, home appliances, medical instruments, and food packaging.

However, when plastic waste is mismanaged – not recycled, incinerated, or kept in sealed landfills – it becomes an environmental pollutant. One to two million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans yearly, affecting wildlife and ecosystems.

Hannah Ritchie, Veronika Samborska and Max Roser (2023) – “Plastic Pollution” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: Our World in Data

 

There is hope on the horizon but probably not in our lifetimes as the major plastic producers look for more bio-friendly ingredients for their products. However, the majority of plastic manufacturers are unlikely to be quick to modernise their current production plants and methods. But with an industry that is estimated to be worth 712 billion U.S. dollars (Statista)., which includes industrial components for the car industry and other manufacturers, Governments are unlikely to clamp down on and risk their tax contributions.

However, on the food related plastics we can make a difference if we move away from buying products such as water in plastic and either filter our own and use non plastic alternatives to store and carry, or move to glass.

Perhaps if manufacturers see that the end user is making other choices, it will encourage them reconsider…. one can but hope.

The Irish government has just started a new initiative in 2024 on the recycling of plastic and aluminium bottles and containers and now every major supermarket has a refuse point for specially marked products.

The Deposit Return Scheme — a new, nationwide money-back scheme for plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans — is being rolled out from today (Thursday, 1 February). The scheme incentivises people to return used drinks containers so that they can be successfully recycled into new containers.

The Deposit Return Scheme is a key commitment of the Programme for Government 2020, and is a fundamental building block of a circular economy. About 5 million drinks are consumed in single-use containers in Ireland each day. As well as boosting recycling rates, the Deposit Return Scheme will significantly reduce the number of bottles and cans being littered or sent to landfill or incineration. Gov.IE 

A step in the right direction…

One of the alternatives to plastic drinking bottles.

I bought a couple of stainless steel water bottles for trips and you might find this useful if you decide to do likewise: Flaske

I will leave you with this video made by students in Hawaii. Douglas McCauley

I hope this might give you something to consider. Thanks Sally

 ©Sally Cronin Just Food for Health 1998 – 2024

I am a qualified nutritional therapist with twenty-six years experience working with clients in Ireland and the UK as well as being a health consultant on radio in Spain. Although I write a lot of fiction, I actually wrote my first two books on health, the first one, Size Matters, a weight loss programme 20 years ago, based on my own weight loss of 154lbs. My first clinic was in Ireland, the Cronin Diet Advisory Centre and my second book, Just Food for Health was written as my client’s workbook. Since then I have written a men’s health manual, and anti-aging programme, articles for magazines, radio programmes and posts here on Smorgasbord.

If you would like to browse my health books and fiction you can find them here Sally’s books and reviews 2024

 

Thanks for joining me for this series and as always delighted to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.