Childhood High Blood Pressure on the Rise Thanks to PlasticMay 25th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
It’s one of the last things we think about affecting our children, but high blood pressure may be a health issue for children exposed to phthalates in food packaging, says a study published in the recent issue of The Journal of Pediatrics. Read More:Childhood High Blood Pressure on the Rise Thanks to PlasticChemical Companies Sue California Over “Blacklisting” BPAMarch 6th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
California Governor Jerry Brown is facing a lawsuit from a coalition of chemical companies attempting to stop the inclusion of BPA (bisphenol-A) in the state’s list of substances known to cause birth defects. Read More:Chemical Companies Sue California Over “Blacklisting” BPAOrganic Food (Yes, Organic) Linked to High Chemical Exposure RiskMarch 3rd, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
Surprising news for organic food lovers in the recent issue of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology: a University of Washington study found high levels of plastic in the bodies of people who refrained from eating food that had been packaged in plastic containers. Read More:Organic Food (Yes, Organic) Linked to High Chemical Exposure RiskScientists Want Certain Plastics Labeled ‘Hazardous’February 17th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
Reclassifying certain plastics as ‘hazardous’ could help reduce the amount of plastic ending up in landfills and the ocean each year reports a new paper appearing in the journal Nature. Read More:Scientists Want Certain Plastics Labeled ‘Hazardous’Still Clean As a Whistle Though? Unilever Soaps to Ditch Plastic Micro BeadsJanuary 11th, 2013 - Jill Ettinger
Unilever, the manufacturer of Suave, Pond’s Creams and Dove soaps along with hundreds of other household and personal care items, will be phasing out plastic micro beads commonly used in exfoliating soaps and scrubs, to benefit marine life, CNN reports. Read More:Still Clean As a Whistle Though? Unilever Soaps to Ditch Plastic Micro BeadsBanned! Los Angeles Nation’s Largest City to Prohibit Plastic BagsMay 27th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
The highly anticipated decision by the city of Los Angeles on whether or not to ban the single use plastic bag from retail stores and restaurants was announced last Wednesday, with an overwhelming 13 to 1 vote in favor of the ban, making Los Angeles the nation’s largest city to prohibit plastic bags and the state’s 48th city overall, joining San Francisco, San Jose and Long Beach. Read More:Banned! Los Angeles Nation’s Largest City to Prohibit Plastic BagsTruly Magical Mushrooms Found to Eat Up Our Plastic WasteFebruary 12th, 2012 - Jill Ettinger
Students from Yale University have published findings in the current issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology about a major discovery they made in the Ecuadorian jungle: A fungus that likes to eat plastic. Read More:Truly Magical Mushrooms Found to Eat Up Our Plastic WasteWorking With Pesticides Harms Fertility in WomenJanuary 27th, 2011 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Women exposed to pesticides and plasticizers are more likely to have fertility problems and lower birth-weight babies, says a new study. Plasticizers (or phthalates) are chemical additives used to increase plasticity and softness of materials like plastic, clay, cement, and concrete. Bisphenol A – notoriously known as BPA – is found in some plasticizers. Read More:Working With Pesticides Harms Fertility in WomenSupermarket in DC Bans Water BottlesJune 22nd, 2010 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
You can find a lot of nasty stuff in plastics used to package our foods, such as water bottles. The most notorious is BPA – short for Bisphenol A – a compound used to make plastic, which has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and neurological disorders in fetuses, infants, and young children. Not to mention all this plastic is polluting our planet by clogging up landfills and floating around our ocean, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch; a giant island of trash and plastic roughly the size of Texas in the North Pacific Ocean. But one Washington, DC supermarket is doing its part to cut out plastic, banning water bottles from sale in its six regional supermarkets. MOM’s Organic Market has launched its “Battle the Bottle” campaign, kicking plastic water bottles out of stores. And instead MOM’s will be installing water filtration machines in stores, allowing shoppers to refill their own bottles for free, but only up to one gallon. The filters will be up and running in a few weeks. A spokesperson for MOM’s said, “Societies are truly addicted to plastic, much in the way we are addicted to oil. MOM’s campaign is in support of DC’s anti-plastic push. The city already adds a 5-cent tax on plastic bags, which has slashed their use dramatically. I shop with the reusable bags and when I moved I used any plastic bags I did have for box stuffing. I’m a genius! Image credit: Ozville Read More:Supermarket in DC Bans Water BottlesDon’t Trash Our Oceans; It’s World Water DayMarch 22nd, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Today is World Water Day, and if you live along one of the nation’s coastlines, you’ve probably noticed that you’re not alone when going for a swim. Ocean pollution is a major problem, and litter is a primary culprit. While laws have been designed to prevent people from dumping their trash into the sea, they haven’t eradicated the problem. Garbage still finds its way into our oceans and threatens marine life. After last year’s annual Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers in more than 100 countries and 42 U.S. states had removed more than 6.8 million pounds of trash. As Greenpeace notes, only a fraction of the 300 billion pounds of plastic produced globally is recycled, with massive quantities dumped in landfills or oceans. When exposed to the sun, wind and ocean currents, plastic degrades and is often mistaken for food. Dolphins, sharks, whales and other marine animals die painful suffocation deaths when carelessly discarded plastics become lodged in their throats or digestive systems. Seemingly innocuous pop tabs from aluminum cans and plastic six-pack wrappers are common killers. Simply cutting up your six-pack wrappers before discarding them is one small step toward protecting sea life. You’re not off the hook if you live in a landlocked state, as litter along streets often ends up in storm drains and rivers, eventually navigating its way into the ocean. Once there, it can survive for decades. Reducing litter and volunteering for cleanup programs are highly effective ways to safeguard our oceans. Click here to volunteer for a coastal cleanup program. Free Online Resource: Guide to Marine Debris For Your Organic Bookshelf: Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth Photo: Hans Sautter/Aurora Photos, courtesy of Ocean Conservancy Read More:Don’t Trash Our Oceans; It’s World Water Day |
Plastic bottles are bad news. Sure, the water inside might be from a “natural spring” but the bottle itself is risky business.
