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For example, is most of the plastic in bloodstreams due to plastic cookware, tap water, bottled water, sea fish, aquaculture fish, meat?
Plastic is incredible. It's one of the most amazing things humans have ever created. But we're due for a serious re-evaluation of where it is appropriate to use it. Single-use plastics have to be banned globally, outside of critical uses like medical. I know, good luck with this one. Plastic fabrics need to be severely curtailed, as this study shows.
If synthetic fabrics go, hooooo boy... talk about an industrial shakeup. Polyester accounts for ~50% of global fabric production. Non-plastic synthetic fibers made from wood pulp are pretty bad for the environment (you basically use harsh chemicals to liquefy wood and turn that into new fibers). The only thing "performance-wise" that comes close is wool, which is also not very sustainable, and difficult to care for.…
This is a matter do be checked with some detail, since some position against wool have become vocal: wool is, as expected, biodegradable (though it may be subject to chemical treatments that ruin this property); wool is recyclable, both as fabric and as industrial-use material (e.g. as an insulant); as a material for clothing, the excellent properties relative to the other options include durability (which of course - though nowadays the full importance of durability seems to be a neglected idea - reduces environmental impact); processes for the production of wool may entail some impact, independent from the material but related to the sheep.
One summary: https://thinkofthepandas.com/2022/01/13/is-wool-eco-friendly...
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HEPA really isn’t good, the way hepa filters are manufactured and discarded is really bad for the environment. A better alternative is electro static and ionizing filters that are cleanable, like airdog provides. The tech isn’t new, but the industry isn’t interested in not making money on disposable hepa filters..
Ionizing air filter are a health hazard on their own: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c02582# I don’t know input HEPA production, but if you throw them into household trash here in Germany they simply get burned.
[0] https://sharphome.eu/en/sharp/airpurifierhumidifier/en-kc-a5...
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Ionizing air filter are a health hazard on their own: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c02582# I don’t know input HEPA production, but if you throw them into household trash here in Germany they simply get burned.
Yes, most of the HEPA air purifiers are trash, offered like as a "subscription service" due to the large cost and short lifespan (6 months in average) of the filters. But there are other options like Sharp KCA50EUW [0] with an advertised filter life span of up to 10 years. A more trendy and smart offering is Electrolux PA91-404DG, albeit it has a shorter filter lifespan (could not find the number now but if my memory…
We see articles claiming that people have microplastics within their bodies (either lungs or bloodstream), is there any evidence on the weight of contributing causes? For example, is most of the plastic in bloodstreams due to plastic cookware, tap water, bottled water, sea fish, aquaculture fish, meat?
One article I met earlier in the year was about creating systems to tag microplastic, in order to follow its path: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30020879 ("New measuring method reveals there may be more plastic “on” than “in” your salad" (phys.org))
Does this article says that people wearing polyester clothing are at serious risk?
I’m a 15 year convert to wearing it daily. Whenever I try a “plastic” jumper on at the shops I can tell immediately it feels sweaty and uncomfortable…
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Same experience here. Bought a couple for 60 usd each at amazon. Way more comfortable and keep fresh longer than synthetic/cotton t-shirts.
Yeah, completely counterintuitive if your mental association growing up is with super hot sweaters.