Dangers of Plastic

[Dan.Linehan]

Get Plastic Out Of Your Diet

Plastic in the Sea and Water

[JimOfferman]

I'm always a bit put off by this kind of alarmist / conspiracy theory article. Specially when they are all by the same author.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about the ubiquitous use of plastics, but the author of these two articles kind of skips over the fact that other containers (glass, paper, wood) come with their own set of risks. It's not like we can eliminate all dangers just by removing plastic from the equation. There exists no magic free-of-all-problems substitute to replace it with.

For what it's worth, in these parts (Europe) the use of PVC has been heavily regulated for many years now. Food packinging and barbies sold in the European markets are all made of flavors of PC, PP or PE(T). Regulations regarding the toxicity of packaging are also fairly stringent - but that's Europe, US might be different.

When I attended university (it's been a while), we received a fair bit of instruction on the pros and cons of plastics (and other materials as well). We also visited a bunch of plants where they made various products from plastics. What I took away from all that is that plastics aren't the be all and end all of materials, but also that it's not the worst stuff in the world by far.

Jim.

[Dan.Linehan]

Originally Posted by JimOfferman

I'm always a bit put off by this kind of alarmist / conspiracy theory article. Specially when they are all by the same author.

The second link has dozens of articles by different authors.

Our Synthetic Sea: A video about the fact that there's more plastic than plankton in the oceans.

Its not alarmist when its true.

[JimOfferman]

Originally Posted by Dan.Linehan

Its not alarmist when its true.

Agreed, but therein lies the rub. Is it entirely true? I'm not convinced it is.

Granted, I am not really a plastics expert, but from what I read the articles (that is, the first two you posted - haven't read the rest) contained some truths, some half truths and then a bunch of misinformation. Let's just say I'd have given the author a lot more credit if he'd stuck to just the truths in his articles.

Are plastics a danger to our health and environment? Yes, to some extent at least, they are. Would the world be safer if we abandoned plastics altogether? I honestly don't know. For some applications, yes, absolutely. For a lot of applications, however, I can't think of safer or cleaner materials - but, then again, I am not a materials expert.

Jim.

[Dan.Linehan]

On the front of digg today: article about this.

Practical Values: Hard to Break

Renowned scientists described new, peer-reviewed findings on how plastic's ingredients may cause reproductive abnormalities and obesity.

"Today there are no babies born without measurable levels of phthalates," says Dr. Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Animal studies have linked phthalates to the same genital abnormalities that are now among the most common birth defects in American baby boys. "We're not yet sure what level of exposure produces these adverse effects, but they are a real concern," explains Dr. Paul Foster, a senior researcher at the National Toxicology Program.

Other researchers are also cautious. "I don't want to induce panic, but I think we should be addressing women of childbearing age," says Foster. Because phthalates and bisphenol A seem to have the greatest impact in the womb, he and Swan suggest that women who are pregnant or are planning to conceive take the most precautions. "These fetal effects are permanent and irreversible, while impacts of adult exposure appear to be reversible," explains Swan.