Do microplastics and BPA inhibit fertility? Is it time for a Plastic Detox?
Plastics are everywhere.... they are ubiquitous.
It is said that we all have a credit card size amount of plastic inside of us.*
Just walk around your home and take stock of all the items you use on a daily basis which are made of plastic:
- Anything in a plastic bottle or container, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic bags...
- Dishcloths, dishbrushes, fabric conditioner, cleaning products...
- Pots, pans, kettles, kitchen utensils...
- Toilettries, perfumes, deodorants, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos, moisturizers...
- Synthetic clothing, polyester, nylon, synthetic bedsheets, mattress protectors, cushions, blankets, rugs, curtains, window blinds, furniture...
- Office stationery products, paper...
- and so much more besides
I challenge you to spend one day noticing everything you use in your daily life to check if it has plastic in it.
Endocrine Disruption
One of the main hard-hitting facts which comes out of the Netflix documentary 'The Plastic Detox' (see below) is how plastics are endocrine disruptors, and as it seems from the study conducted on which the film is based, severely impact sperm production.
Microplastics are apparently also obesigins, causing excess weight.
The Film - The Plastic Detox
What are microplastics doing to your health?
The dangers of using plastics have an unprecedented health toll on fertility, puberty, and much more.
This documentary follows the research of Dr. Swan and other experts in the field, covering the impact on human development and showing how we can take matters into our own hands.
The results of just this small study are astounding... and it's a real (happy) tear jerker at the end of the documentary, watch till the end!
The only thing I wish they had talked more about was what exactly the study participants did to detoxify and reduce their plastic load.
The Guardian says
"The list of ways in which humanity is committing species suicide may be long and growing, but The Plastic Detox is here to suggest that room should be found for the overwhelmingly widespread use of petrochemical-derived plastics.
In this affecting documentary, an epidemiologist asks six couples struggling to conceive to reduce their exposure to plastics and see if it helps. The results are startling – and prove that we should all make changes now..."
Read the Guardian article:
* A widely cited 2019 study by the University of Newcastle, commissioned by WWF, suggests humans may ingest approximately 5 grams of microplastics weekly, which is equivalent to the weight of a credit card. This amounts to roughly 2,000 tiny plastic particles, or 250 grams (about half a pound) annually.
- Weekly Ingestion: Roughly 5 grams of microplastics (1 credit card).
- Monthly Ingestion: About 21 grams.
- Annual Ingestion: Over 250 grams, which is approximately the weight of an apple.
- Main Sources: Bottled and tap water, shellfish, beer, and salt are the primary sources of ingestion.
- Contamination Sources: Microplastics (defined as < 5mm) are inhaled and ingested, having been found in human feces, blood, and placenta
(Source: Google Ai)
