Plastic Pollution – In Your Blood, Lungs and Stomach

Did You Know There is Plastic Pollution (Microplastic) in Your Blood, Lungs and Stomach?

Plastic Pollution. We all know it’s a huge scourge on the planet. Look around you and you’ll probably see plastic litter.

Our oceans are full of plastic, so are our lands.

That straw you used once, the plastic that wrapped your vegetables or meat, will outlive you. Plastic lasts a long, long time – and in that time it kills animals, birds and fish.

And now we know that we humans are eating plastic as well! Some plastic comes from the food that we eat (e.g. eating fish that have eaten plastic), and some plastic comes just by living (tiny, tiny particles of plastic are everywhere).

Now, microplastic is in our lungs, our blood and our stomachs.

We’re only just becoming aware of this now – and we don’t know the health implications yet.

What Can We Do About It?

That’s ghastly – but we can’t stop eating, and we can’t stop breathing.

So, is there anything we can do?

Yes, there is.

Read on to find out how.

Plastic Is Increasing

We are on edge of a plastic calamity.

The plastic pollution problem is already big enough – yet manufacturers world-wide are gearing up to produce more. Why? A booming population is driving demand. The next time you see scenes of plastic choking a river or burying a beach, consider double that impact in just 10 years.

It’s terrible. We need to seriously re-think the way we produce, use and manage plastic. That’s why United Nations Environment is now focusing on plastic pollution, and they’ve come up with 3 steps:

1. We, as citizens and consumers, need to be aware of our consumption habits every day (keep reading for an interesting way to tackle this). Many of us are already proving our power as consumers, by refusing plastic straws and cutlery, cleaning beaches and coastlines, and rethinking our purchase habits. If this happens enough, retailers will get the message and look for alternatives.
2. The private sector must innovate. Currently, throwing things away is profitable (isn’t that scary?). Green and eco-friendly design and chemistry can help – and manufacturers must be held to account for the life cycle of their products.
3. And finally, governments must lead by enacting strong policies that ensure responsible design, production and consumption of plastics. For example, cities and countries that have banned plastic bags are now more attractive and drains are less blocked.

But What About Climate Change?

Isn’t it more important to tackle climate change than plastic pollution? Actually, no. All parts of our planet are so deeply interconnected that beating plastic pollution will preserve precious ecosystems, mitigate climate change, and protect biodiversity and human health.

Here’s an Idea:- Keep Your Plastic For a Week

I love looking at people in other countries (or even in my own) and seeing how they live – are they different or similar to me? Do you enjoy that too?

The Guardian newspaper recently ran a photo essay – they got families from all over the world to display the plastic they’d used in the last week. It was very interesting (you can see all the photos here).

And it gave me an idea. I wondered how aware we all are of the plastic we use every day. Plastic is so common that we tend not to really notice it much any more. So you might notice the plastic bottle or tub when your laundry detergent is finished, but do you also remember the plastic film that wrapped your vegetables?

So, here’s my suggestion. Keep ALL your plastic for one week. Then lay it all out and email me the photo.

Why? Because I think that the more aware we are of our plastic use, the more we’ll try to find a way to use less.

We need to change our habits, so manufacturers and governments will change too, and we’ll have a healthier world for everyone.

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Warm regards,

P.S.  Want to live a simpler, more green and ecofriendly life? (It’s been shown to increase happiness!). You can download your FREE green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here. Get it now!

Related:

• You’re using plastic the wrong way!
• 5 ways to re-use plastic bottles
• Should you re-use plastic zip bags?
• Get rid of all the toxic products in your life (you’ll be shocked at where they hide!). It’s easy – see how here!