The Problem With Plastics

Has anyone ever taken a moment to realize just how much of everyday items are plastic? Children's toys, phone cases, grocery bags, bottles, disposable cups, plates, and cutlery, containers, car parts, lining of metal cans, netting, decor... you get the idea. Plastic was practically the savior of our planet when it was first invented: costs next to nothing to manufacture, and yields boatloads at a time. Of course, this meant satisfaction as demands were met amongst the world's fast-growing population during the early 1900s. However, with every seemingly wonderful invention, there were unexpected consequences the world would be dealing with for years to come. Let's get one thing straight: Plastic never breaks down, or if it does takes a very, very long time to; their molecules are non-reactive. Where does it go? Well, if it can't be recycled (which by the way, not everything you throw in the recycling bin can be) then it's got one of two options: The ocean, or a landfill.

Trash washes up on beaches all of the time, and living not even an hour away from one I can personally attest to this; it gets caught up in major ocean currents and just circulates, circulates, circulates. Environmentalists have pictures floating all over the internet, in books and magazines of turtle's shells growing around where a six-pack ring got stuck, bird's wings and beaks being broken from netting as well as dolphin and shark fins being rubbed raw; showing everyone the destruction we have plastic, and ultimately ourselves, to blame. Scenarios like I have listed result in death amongst species. For example, birds need to fly in order to find food and navigate migration patterns, and they can't do those things with broken wings. Also, in the wild there is no bandaging to ensure proper healing, or medicine to prevent against infection, resulting in inevitable death from plastic netting. If you have any sort of simple understanding of science, you know that a population decrease in one species can cause a domino effect on the entire ecosystem. In addition to this, as conscious beings humans have a duty to protect the planet and all that inhabit it, instead of taking advantage and doing the complete opposite.

If this isn't enough to upset you, lets talk about the consequences done directly on your body thanks to plastic. Fish humans commonly enjoy eating like tuna and salmon, eat smaller fish. Well, smaller fish eat bits of vegetation floating around in the ocean, and small shrimp. What they think is vegetation isn't always so; a plastic bead bobbing in the water looks close enough! Harmful compounds known as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) bind to plastic, and are carried everywhere with them; Substances like DDT, BPA, Aldrin and Dioxin, that accumulate in animal fat cells and tissues as they move up the food chain because they are highly concentrated and not easily detoxed. Get this, a CDC study showed more than 90% of the US population tested positive for traces of BPA in their body. A small handful of negative side effects include infertility, birth defects, reduced immune functioning, diabetes, cancer and neurological disorders. Let's not forget plastics are also sitting around in landfills radiating POPs through the soil, where not only fruits and vegetables are grown, but where livestock live as well.


Don't you dare try to justify the internal guilt by thinking, "I'm just ONE person, how can I possibly help such a massive issue?" Ladies and gentlemen, it is NEVER too late to make steps towards change. Here is how you can help.

-Invest in a glass, reusable water bottle Instead of purchasing cases of disposable water bottles. By doing this you aren't feeding corporate companies who are part of the problem, saving money, the planet, resources and yourself. *This also goes for buying glass containers instead of Ziploc bags*

-Take reusable bags to the grocery store You don't have to buy the ones sold at the store specifically labeled as "reusable bags" (which are usually cheap, flimsy and made from plastic), just use whatever you've got laying around the house! Ladies, if you're anything like me, you've got plenty to share. There are actually some places that will give you a discount for bringing your own bags!

-Don't take a store plastic bag if you don't need one I'm talking to you, person who is just buying eyeliner or shaving cream.

-DIY If you eat out for one day, think about the plastic waste you're generating: cup and paper bag from Dunkin Donuts, ice cream container from Diary Queen, bag, box and disposable chopsticks from Chinese takeout... Not only is it the healthier, money-saving option to pack your own meals, but less wasteful as well. This includes growing your own fruits and veggies.

-Support companies who support recycling There are some companies out there like you and I who care about the planet's well being. It'll tell you on packaging if it's made from recycled material (like my business cards!)

-Reuse Instead of going out and buying a brand new couch or game station, see if you can find someone who is giving theirs away. I'm not saying buy something dirty and old, but more than often there are circumstances that make people give things away that are practically brand new (saves $$$ too!). Also, there is this great, unique website called thespotteddoor.com who recycles things like candy wrappers and traffic signs creating baskets and chairs!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistent_organic_pollutant


http://ecologycenter.org/factsheets/adverse-health-effects-of-plastics/


http://healthychild.org/easy-steps/know-your-plastics/


http://oceancrusaders.org/crusades/plastic-crusades/plastic-statistics/


http://plasticwastesolutions.com/plastic-litter/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic

http://www.livescience.com/38981-5-ways-limit-bpa.html


Film, Plastics Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Fluoride: Dental Hygiene Additive or Lethal Poison?

The same question gets asked almost every time someone takes a trip to the dentist: “Do you use toothpaste with fluoride?” According to Dr. William Bowen its purpose is, “to promote remineralization of early caries, and prevent demineralization”. He claims fluoride also appears to have the effect of slowing down decay rates of plaque; aka nasty, cavity-causing bacteria. While most modern dentists praise fluoride as being the savior of our mouths, many health specialists have opposing viewpoints.
 

For starters, sodium fluoride is one of the most popular treatment compounds and can be found anywhere and everywhere; coincidentally in rat poison as it is in toothpaste and water. Let’s get one thing straight; this stuff is toxic waste—Literally. Sodium fluoride is a byproduct of manufacturing and industry. Waste isn’t just purely this compound, of course, so this more than often is a mixture with lead and arsenic. If that isn’t enough to scare someone, lets move onto the multitude of damage it does to the human body.

4 ppm (parts per million) is the established amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency for sodium fluoride in water. There has been Austrian Research done stating 1 ppm can damage DNA repair enzymes by 50%. Dr. Phyllis Mullenix, a neurotoxicologist, experimented with sodium fluoride nineteen years ago, found buildup in animal brain tissue and could immediately link it to disrupted functions similar to Attention Deficit Disorder. It’s only natural to assume that since fluoride is toxic in all ways, shapes and forms it is cancer causing as well; which is absolutely true. Also, fluoride can cause calcium deficiencies because it dissolves it in a solution. Is it coincidental that we are one of the only countries who are allowed to treat our water with it and have approximately 62 million people who suffer from bone issues and disorders? This short list alone doesn’t even begin to cover the actual amount of problems this compound causes.

 

Why is it in our water supply? It is a very cheap compound for water sanitation. Since it’s a manufacturing byproduct the government doesn’t even have to pay for it to be produced! Scientists have easily manipulated and skewed data in order to prove to the Environmental Protection Agency as well as senators and representatives that this stuff is okay to put into the national water supply—and most buy into it because it is literally “too good to be true”. 

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1295327/?page=1

http://www.holisticmed.com/fluoride/

http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/fluoride.cfm

http://preventdisease.com/home/tips79.shtml

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/08/israel-joins-most-of-the-world-in-banning-water-fluoridation.html

http://www.aaos.org/about/papers/position/1113.asp

http://consciouslifenews.com/fluoride-toxic-poison-learn-differences-between-natural-synthetic-fluoride/#

Organic vs Conventional vs GMO... What's the Difference?!

Whenever I visit the grocery store and saunter down the produce aisle, I see a variety of people shopping: some calculating if it's cheaper to buy the head of lettuce than the bag, rolling their eyes at the expense of organic, reaching for the sale item with no questions asked, knocking on watermelons... While I do admit commercial grocery stores are expanding their organic produce selection, it still remains much smaller compared to the rest: GMO and conventional. 


What does this mean? According to supply and demand principles, the market for organic produce consumers is smaller than that of it's conventional and GMO counterparts. Why? The answer is quite simple: America is misinformed. Has the difference between the three growing methods ever been taught to anyone in school? Not once in my fourteen years spent in the education system. Are there commercials on TV? If that were the case, my mom would be an expert considering she spends all of her free time watching it. Coverage on popular news networks such as CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX? If so, don't you think more people would know better? For the large majority of America, it boils down to one thing: price. My own, beloved grandfather proved this to me one night. My family had gotten together, and someone had brought a container of strawberries. I politely declined, because they are one of the fruits I don't eat unless organic due to their water content and thin skin (the ability to retain chemicals heightens with these factors). My grandfather's response, "You know she only eats that organic stuff! Must be nice, but it's too expensive for me. I'll go for the other stuff, cheaper in price and the exact same thing". Not to be disrespectful, but you are sadly mistaken, pop-pop.

GMO, Genetically Modified Organism: Most popular crops include soy, cotton, sugarbeet and corn. These are plants that have had their DNA altered/combined with the DNA from another organism to form more desirable, "efficient" traits. For example, there has been a tomato plant engineered with Alaskan Salmon DNA. This way the tomato can be grown out of season and won't freeze. May I make note that hybrid and heirloom seeds are NOT GMOs. The process used to create a GMO is always done in a lab, does NOT occur naturally, and the long-term effects on the human body are collectively and best described as unstudied and unknown. While scientists who were hired and paid by the same company that created GMO seeds did a fast-tracked study claiming they were safe for consumption, independent studies have been done by other scientists all over the world proving GMO seeds contribute to disorders and diseases such as tumors, cancer, Alzheimer's, infertility and birth defects. Companies in America are not required to label whether or not a product contains GMOs, but more than likely you are eating them since these and conventional crops are the most populous and therefore the least expensive. There are also GMO seeds engineered to be "pest resistant" that go by the name of "Bt" or "Round-Up Ready", which attempts to eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. However, nature (bugs, weeds, etc.) knows how to evolve, develop tolerance and find an alternate route to survive. Most of the time GMO crop owners will have to purchase extra pest/herb/insecticides, conveniently manufactured by the same company as the seed. Let's also not forget that the company who decided to create and patent this technology, Monsanto, was originally (and still is) a chemical company, creator of the chemical warfare used during the Vietnam War, Agent Orange. This might just be my personal opinion, but I don't think any human being has the right to put a patent on Mother Nature. There is an obvious reason as to why over sixty countries worldwide have banned the possession, growth and distribution of these seeds. 


Conventionally Grown: These crops come from a plain old, non-GMO seed, however farmers spray them with herbicides, insecticides and pesticides. If the plant you're eating doesn't fall under what I listed as a popular GMO crops, it comes from a conventional one. Tolerance is built amongst nature in these sorts of crops, too, and thus the strength and/or amount of chemicals increases overtime. These crops, along with GMO, are most commonly associated with the phrase, "feed the world" because they apparently produce more yield than organic. Taking a closer look at crop yield, these sorts of numbers come from commercially owned, mono crops. Mono crops are when one type of plant/seed on a farm is grown for miles and miles. Organic farmer's yield is lower only because they understand the importance of diversity when growing food, and therefore have many different crops on the same piece of land. Different plants enrich and take different nutrients from the soil, but when you constantly grow one type of crop on one piece of land you don't get that sort of diversity, resulting in nutrient deficient produce. Chemicals also contribute to the death of very important fungi and microorganisms in the soil, and yet again depriving the food you eat of essential nutrients. Any coincidence that seven out of the ten leading causes of death in the United States are diet related with the majority of it's citizens eating these sorts of foods?


Organic: Organic crops are those that are grown with a normal seed, and without the use of conventional chemicals. According to the USDA's website, organic certified farmers must, "preserve natural resources and biodiversity, support animal health and welfare, provide access to the outdoors so that animals can exercise their natural behaviors, only use approved materials, do not use genetically modified ingredients, receive annual on-sight inspections and separate organic food from non-organic food". Organic food is more expensive than conventional and GMO due to the fact that they don't get nearly as many, if any, subsidies because not as many people purchase them. Also, organic farmers must pay for inspection and labeling in addition to typical farming expenses, and then still need to make a paycheck. In conclusion, the growing process is not what makes organic food more expensive. Think about it, organic farmers don't pay for pesticides or patented seeds like the other two options, so that alone cuts costs! No to mention, when you buy organic you're supporting smaller, family-owned businesses versus large corporate companies who could care less about your health, so long as they're generating a profit.

Hopefully I've done my first blog post justice and informed everyone well enough to make more conscious decisions when visiting the grocery store! Just remember what you are spending your money on speaks volumes: it is one of the most powerful decisions you can make in showing who/what you support. The picture below explains how to find which types of produce according to their stickers. Until next time!

 


Sources:
https://www.organicconsumers.org/old_articles/monsanto/agentorange032102.php
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php
http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/
Documentary Films:
-Food Inc.