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Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

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131–138 of 138 posts

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#131
I see many fatalistic posts.

Of course, saying "we are doomed" is the easiest way to continue to do what we are doing. It's just a defensive mechanism at this point.

We should be stopping the production of plastic and replace it with bioplastics immediately.

Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#132
post #108
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am absolutely with you. Total apathy. I can’t do anything. My 100% waste goes to local recycling system. I pick up thrash when I am in the nature and bring home. Even left by others. I avoid synthetic clothing and wear only when I really need it. And still micro plastic in the air everywhere. How is this happening!?

Youre probably already aware but unless you live in a very unique locality with an extremely expensive recycling system, very little of the plastic you put in the system actually gets recycled. Current consumption and wealth levels are not sustainable but reducing consumption is completely antithetical to the capitalist and consumerist society of present day. Buying less stuff, going on fewer vacations, driving less,…

I really hate low quality objects from plastic. Cheap toys for example… They are made in seconds, transported around globe, used for minutes, then break and get disposed. Think about plastic cars with breaking axles or not working water pistols. Even expensive nerf gun from big brand is gone after few months. While some of these are easy to disassemble, other have electronics inside. I agree, that flying and car driving are bad, but that can’t be really avoided. Importing plastic trash like mentioned toys should be forbidden EU wide.

And don’t get me started about food packaging. Every 100 gram of food comes with at least 5 gram of plastic packaging. Sadly I must eat sometimes and can’t do anything about packaging.

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#133

Plastics are inert. This is why they don't biodegrade easily. It is the additives in the plastics (to make them softer, or color them, or whatever) that are terrible for you. By the time these things are 'microplastics' I am having a hard time feeling scared that they are harmful. I'm not saying they aren't, but until someone can tie them to an actual problem, I don't see an issue -- especially since there is nothing…

But them being inert also makes it very hard for our body to clean it up, so it ends up accumulating in our bodies.

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#134

Plastics are inert. This is why they don't biodegrade easily. It is the additives in the plastics (to make them softer, or color them, or whatever) that are terrible for you. By the time these things are 'microplastics' I am having a hard time feeling scared that they are harmful. I'm not saying they aren't, but until someone can tie them to an actual problem, I don't see an issue -- especially since there is nothing…

But them being inert also makes it very hard for our body to clean it up, so it ends up accumulating in our bodies.

If you don't know it is there and it doesn't affect you, why does it matter?

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But them being inert also makes it very hard for our body to clean it up, so it ends up accumulating in our bodies.

If you don't know it is there and it doesn't affect you, why does it matter?

Because it takes up space in organs etc. It gets in the way. Stuff blocks up. It could become dislodged and accumulate into a blood clot. Lots of reasons why we shouldn't have foreign objects in our bodies.

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't know it is there and it doesn't affect you, why does it matter?

Because it takes up space in organs etc. It gets in the way. Stuff blocks up. It could become dislodged and accumulate into a blood clot. Lots of reasons why we shouldn't have foreign objects in our bodies.

That sounds an awful lot like 'affecting you'.

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My carpet fitter tried to sell me on recycled plastic underlay. They only want to sell it because it’s dirt cheap and lightweight. Zero cares about what I’ll be breathing in for 10 years

What do you think the carpet is made out of?

It’s 100% wool. Why? (Edit. Oops correction. 80% wool, 20% nylon. 100% is throwing away money)

Wool is still popular in the UK despite carpet shops trying to sell the “bleach cleanable” benefits of plastic flammable carpet for many years

Even if it were plastic, is that a reason to have more plastic?

Re: Microplastics are finding their way into fruit and vegetables as they grow

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is the additives in the plastics (to make them softer, or color them, or whatever) that are terrible for you. That said, one-time-use plastics are absolutely obscene and need to be removed from society as soon as humanly possible. Those seem to be somewhat conflicting viewpoints. The overwhelming majority of single-use plastics are PE or PP, which also don't really have much in the way of additives. PVC, ABS, and…

I have dental floss and tape made out of PFAS. Unfortunately its 25% PFAS content is what makes Oral B floss so good and waxy- I haven't found a non-PFAS floss that works half as well

My dental hygienist warned that Oral B isn’t effective and recommended I use a woven floss, like cocofloss. Stay safe out there.
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