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Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

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Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that doomer is a waste of time. Time to be a prepper and realign our relationship to the planet. We could go on and on about climate doom, etc, but the most productive thing we can do is expect change, not apocalypse, and adjust. Lead by example. Everyone reading this can go full wind and solar. Can stop driving or drastically cut it down (move closer, use public transport, work remote, etc). We can all…

"Lead by example." Yes. Can you tell me more about your set up and what you do to minimize your foot print and consumption? I live in a minivan on $2600 per month and still manage to save money. But I still. feel like I am not doing enough. I would like to get rid of my van altogether one day and just have all my belongings in a modified push cart. Kinda of like this guy but without the goats. https://www.youtube.com…

I love that goat guy, he's such an inspiration. I know most people wouldn't want to live that way, and that's okay, but I can only imagine the satisfaction and fulfillment he must feel.

FWIW, we can build lifestyles that are ecologically harmonious and still have a high standard of living. One example (from the 1970's) is Village Homes in Davis CA, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Homes It's nicer than most suburbs, and it grows food, collects rainwater, etc.

Here's a group that have a tried-and-true system for ecologically harmonious farming: http://growbiointensive.org/grow_main.html Their system uses about 5000 square feet per person, provides a nutritionally complete diet, and increases topsoil volume and fertility over time.

Here's a fellow with a complete manual for small-scale alcohol fuel production integrated into (Permaculture) organic farms. http://alcoholcanbeagas.com/node/277 You can grow your own carbon-neutral fuel, convert ICE cars and other engines to run on it, and stop using fossil fuel, w/o expensive and hard-to-dispose of batteries. Alcohol exhaust is non-toxic. You can make it out of almost anything with starch or sugar in it. (Old donut dough, bakery scraps, food waste, etc.) The atoms in the fuel come from air and water, so you are basically exporting stored sunlight from your farm and keeping all the nutrients and minerals and such. The leftovers from making alcohol can be fed to livestock (yeast, eh? It's protein. The leftovers are a better feed than the initial, uh, stuff!)

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#52
post #12

Clothing is mostly plastic fibre nowadays. Upholstery fibres too. Walls are painted with acrylic paint. Flooring is often made of various plastics. I assume the dust in our homes that we breathe in contains relatively a lot of plastic. Containers for food are almost entirely plastic. I’m interested in these sorts of studies on the topic.

They should test the blood of, say, Amish people for comparison.

Or Ötzi.

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that doomer is a waste of time. Time to be a prepper and realign our relationship to the planet. We could go on and on about climate doom, etc, but the most productive thing we can do is expect change, not apocalypse, and adjust. Lead by example. Everyone reading this can go full wind and solar. Can stop driving or drastically cut it down (move closer, use public transport, work remote, etc). We can all…

And regarding excuses. Maybe we should be able to bring up the road blocks and not call them excuses? Like this in regards to solar that just popped up on my radar today? https://www.wral.com/rooftop-solar-rate-changes-could-cast-l... " NC Capitol NC Capitol Rooftop solar rate changes could cast long shadow over industry, climate change Tags: solar, NC Utilities Commission, utility bills, NCCapitol, Duke Energy, hous…

Full net metering is asking folks without solar to subsidize your "batteries", namely the power-grid.

Your power bill is more than just generation costs. It's also distribution AND providing power 24/7, which household solar (without storage) does NOT do.

Suppose that your power company charges $0.50/KwH at peak time. They pay less than $0.50/KwH to other power generators, so why should they pay that to someone with rooftop solar?

Note that solar actually doesn't line up with demand all that well. (Most panels are oriented for maximum power production, which peaks too early in the day.)

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue that doomer is a waste of time. Time to be a prepper and realign our relationship to the planet. We could go on and on about climate doom, etc, but the most productive thing we can do is expect change, not apocalypse, and adjust. Lead by example. Everyone reading this can go full wind and solar. Can stop driving or drastically cut it down (move closer, use public transport, work remote, etc). We can all…

And regarding excuses. Maybe we should be able to bring up the road blocks and not call them excuses? Like this in regards to solar that just popped up on my radar today? https://www.wral.com/rooftop-solar-rate-changes-could-cast-l... " NC Capitol NC Capitol Rooftop solar rate changes could cast long shadow over industry, climate change Tags: solar, NC Utilities Commission, utility bills, NCCapitol, Duke Energy, hous…

> Duke Energy had a 12% net profit margin with a gross profit of $4.4 Billion in December 2021.

Having previously invested in Duke Energy (but not currently directly invested in them), that gross profit figure seemed dramatically wrong. Because it is.

For the quarter ending (not the month of) Dec 2021, Duke Energy had a gross revenue of $6.2B, with a cost of revenue of $3.6B, for a gross profit (for the quarter) of $2.7B (figures are correct but seem incorrect due to rounding).

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DUK/financials/

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#58
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And regarding excuses. Maybe we should be able to bring up the road blocks and not call them excuses? Like this in regards to solar that just popped up on my radar today? https://www.wral.com/rooftop-solar-rate-changes-could-cast-l... " NC Capitol NC Capitol Rooftop solar rate changes could cast long shadow over industry, climate change Tags: solar, NC Utilities Commission, utility bills, NCCapitol, Duke Energy, hous…

Full net metering is asking folks without solar to subsidize your "batteries", namely the power-grid. Your power bill is more than just generation costs. It's also distribution AND providing power 24/7, which household solar (without storage) does NOT do. Suppose that your power company charges $0.50/KwH at peak time. They pay less than $0.50/KwH to other power generators, so why should they pay that to someone with…

If net metering is available to me, I’d orient them for maximum energy (what you called power) production as well.

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't find the quote now but that is actually one of the issues with PFAS studies. They couldn't find people they could use as a control group. Literally everyone has it in their body, even in very remote regions.

Sure, why would we not? It is widely used in consumer products. We cook our food in Teflon. But I'm very far from convinced that PFOA will turn out to be any health risk at all, at the levels the general population is exposed to. Even for the mid-Ohio valley cohorts, where you have tens of thousands of people who had occupational exposure over decades at up to 1000x the dose any of us will receive, it has been very c…

I've been using ceramic based everything in my kitchen for a while. I honestly don't know anyone who uses those old nonstick teflon pots, pans, skillets anymore. Just ceramic coated and cast iron like me.

Re: Scientists find microplastics in blood for first time

#60

How do we know the plastics didn't come from the method they took the sample? Whenever I have given a blood sample, plastic tubing was used.

what? They draw blood with needles and use little glass thingies to hold it. They aren't going to draw a liter of blood to check it for plastic, they just need a small sample. There might be some plastic involved somewhere but they aren't stupid enough to not control that. I mean there scientists. If you thought of it they thought of that and a dozen more things to be careful about.
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