What Does Your Health Have To Do With Plastic?

By Ivy Sundell, Founder of Replace Plastic NFP

Like most people, I associated the ills of plastic with ocean waste and plastic production’s contribution to climate change. Penguins losing their habitat, marine animals caught in nets. Now research has shown a more personal impact of plastic use: our health.

Plastic breaks down into smaller pieces called microplastics. Scientists have found microplastics in the air, in the water, and in the soil everywhere. We inhale microplastics, and we eat food and drink liquid with microplastics. Our synthetic clothing and cosmetics can also leach microplastics into our body through our skin.

Many of us have heard that we’re not supposed to heat plastic containers in the microwave because plastic sheds microplastics. It turns out that plastic does not require heat to disintegrate. Simply opening a plastic bag sheds microplastics. Plastic is so ubiquitous that we overlook the fact that almost everything is either made with plastic, or wrapped in plastic. Every interaction generates microplastics.

When I first heard about the health effects of plastic, it suddenly made sense why my mom had kidney cancer. She was quite health conscious and ate all the right things. However, she loved nuts and she kept her various kinds of nuts in plastic bags.

Sponsoring an event presented by two University of Illinois College of Medicine professors/scientists on the health risks of plastic made me realize that cancer is not the only illness brought on by plastic. Researchers have found plastic particles in plaques of arteries, in cognitive parts of the brain, and in the hormonal and reproductive systems. Just about all our major illnesses are linked to plastic: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, infertility, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, autism, and Parkinson’s.

Dr. Robert Sargis, a scientist presenting at the December 16 event. explained the urgency of our awareness. “The distressing images of plastic waste contaminating every corner of our globe don’t tell the full story of how plastics affect our health. Plastics carry with them chemicals that are linked to various diseases, and the tiny breakdown products of these plastics may themselves increase disease risk. The plastic problem is not just about waste or a failure of recycling; it’s also about public health and our need to protect this and future generations from harm.”

The hybrid event is held at the Sketchbook Brewing Co. in Skokie and on Zoom. The presentation is followed by my personal journey to reduce plastic in my life. Cesar Marron of Sketchbook, a Replace Plastic Director, points out that the awareness needs to lead to action. "I believe plastics are a serious threat to our health, as they release harmful chemicals that disrupt our hormones and increase the risk of chronic diseases. With plastics embedded in nearly every aspect of our lives, it's more important than ever to understand their impact and work toward avoiding them."

Replace Plastic is a non-profit that works with local businesses to reduce plastic bags in their stores. Geetha Foods in Skokie is our first pilot store. In two months, they have reduced their plastic bag usage from 100% to 13% by supplying customers with boxes, paper bags, and a 25¢ credit for those bringing reusable bags to use. We aim to help them get the plastic bag usage close to zero.

RSVP for in-person at Sketchbook or via Zoom link