Use of plastics is hazardous

Editor, OBSERVER:

I would like to thank the OBSERVER for publicizing the recent lunch and learn at the college, sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The discussion alerted us to the various types of plastics and the dangers they pose to humans.

This spring, I heard a podcast on Sirius Radio about the effects of plastic on our health, and it was quite alarming. Then I watched a few Ted Talks about plastic, again shocking. This summer, I encountered hazardous plastics at our beaches, parks, and homes. Initially, I noticed discarded single-use plastic containers scattered here and there. Next, straws and bits of plastic cups caught my attention. Then, while playing in the sand with my grandkids, I discovered small fragments of microplastics. Once you spot them, you can’t unsee them.

Consider history. Lake Erie was nearly destroyed, yet we saved it by eliminating phosphates from laundry detergents and agricultural practices. Consumer activism has always been effective. Remember BPAs? We managed to get them out of baby bottles and sippy cups simply by checking the bottom and putting them back on the shelf if they contained harmful substances. We must persist until BPAs are entirely eradicated from our bodies, with no traces remaining. Plastics have consumed us as much as we consume them.

What can you do? Become a consumer activist. Stop wearing plastic clothing. Modern washers lack lint traps, causing tiny bits of Dacron and polyester to wash down the drain and into our ecosystem. Instead, invest in organic clothing and products. Use glass, stainless steel, or cast iron for cooking, serving, and storing food. Never microwave any plastic product. Typically, more crinkles in the wrapper indicate greater off-gassing. Write to or call your representatives and urge them to halt the production of vinyl chloride, as there is no safe level of exposure for humans.

We are under siege by big oil companies, formulating polymers that have never been seen on Earth, with unknown long-term and short-term consequences. We need to unite and take a stand. If it’s plastic, repeat after me, “Put it back on the shelf!”

MARGUERITE KACZOR,

Sheridan