The big myth no one talks about
If you've been reading our blogs for the past few years, you'll know I'm not a fan of plastic. These products are manufactured in droves by the same corporations that price gouge us at the store because plastic is the cheapest container to produce.
As always, it's all about the bottom dollar for corporate America.
The unsustainable use of plastics has caused excessive nano-plastic pollution all over the world with no signs of slowing down. Production has quadrupled since 1990, and it's no wonder why scientists are finding plastic particles in penguins living at the poles: only 5% of all plastics in this country go through recycling.
Big oil companies (the ones that receive government funding to destroy the earth and pay no taxes on hundreds of billions of dollars in profit annually) invested in a wonderful disinformation campaign to make us all believe our purchases at Wawa would be carefully separated and re-used in the future to minimize pollution.
The plastic industry has known that recycling is an excellent idea, but it may mean something other than producing the intended results. So, since the 1990s, the recycling myth has been pushed alongside the oil industry.
Why work together? Profits, of course. The fossil fuel industry makes over $400 billion annually on plastic production, while the companies selling the plastics get to maximize their earnings on cheap manufacturing.
As we shift toward clean energy, the prominent oil executives are clenching their butt cheeks, trying to come up with a plan to keep their shareholders happy. That includes pushing plastics on our population while they ask us to believe they're doing right by us.
Lying for profits isn't exclusive to the oil and plastic industries. Just look at 3M's cover-up of contaminating humans with their toxic fluorochemicals dating back to the 70's. These forever chemicals disappear, and their omnipresence harms animals and humans alike.
Much like nano-plastics that never disappear, these forever chemicals damage the body, causing a range of issues from testicular cancer to infertility and breast cancer to thyroid diseases.
I've already covered the available literature indicating micro-nano-plastic pollution is harmful to humans. The laundry list of issues that come from exposure includes oxidative stress, inflammation, impaired immune function, alteration in cellular and energy metabolism, inhibition in cell proliferation, tissue degeneration, abnormal organ development and dysfunction, alteration in biochemical parameters and even cause genotoxicity and carcinogenicity.
And when hundreds of thousands of plastic particles are in the bottle of tap water you bought at Wegmans this morning, you can bet you'll have those life-altering bits flowing through your body forever.
While I've already come to terms with the likelihood I'll be passing Lego blocks in place of kidney stones in my 40s, the same doesn't need to apply to your kids or theirs.
It's up to us to collectively change our spending habits to better the health of our bodies and our only home. We sure can't rely on big corporations to do right by us and to tell the truth about their wrongdoings.
The only reason you should ever buy single-use plastic water bottles at the store is to stock up for a zombie apocalypse in where the drinking water is contaminated. Until that time, try installing an under-sink filter for your faucet and switch to a stainless steel container to get your daily water intake!
Just like the choices we make today shape the future of our individual health, they alter the landscape of our planet's habitability. The small decisions may seem insignificant now, but they do add up when multiplied by 8 billion.
While corporations are doing their part in spreading myths, we're doing ours in busting them. Join us for another free webinar on June 22nd where our Registered Dietitian separates fact from fiction so that you can enjoy the best life possible.
