Plastic products are convenient and cheap, but the rosy picture of an easy “throw away” life painted by plastic manufacturers almost a century ago has greatly dimmed as we grapple with the global crisis of plastic waste and the toxicity of the fossil fuels and chemicals that are the main components of plastics. According to the EPA, 100% of all the plastic humans have ever created is still in existence. 

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Plastic waste is having a significant negative impact on the environment, wildlife and human health in ways that we are just beginning to realize. Toxic chemicals readily leach from food packaging and bottles into our food and beverages. Synthetic textiles, which are made from plastic and are the most common material used for clothing are also a major source of plastic pollution. Rinse water from washing machines and dryer vents release millions of plastic microfibers into the environment every time you wash your fleeces and polyester socks.

All plastic eventually breaks down into microplastics, which are found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fish we eat and the soil that grows our food.  And so, of course, they are found in our bodies.

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The heavy metals and chemicals that are used to make plastic products include lead, antimony, cadmium, phthalates, PFAS, bisphenols and fungicides. Studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals and other plasticizing chemicals may be linked to significant health problems, including reduced sperm counts and fertility, damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, immune and endocrine systems and increases in breast, testicular and prostate cancers.