Reduce, Reuse, Reform

Image Gallery Geof Wilson

We have a complicated relationship with plastic, despite its omnipresence in our consumer culture. Associated with the cheap and mass-produced, plastic is synonymous with disposability. The very qualities that have made it so perfect for mass production—its protean nature and ability to be reliably molded with heat and pressure into an astonishing variety of shapes and sizes—contribute to our perception of the material as utterly synthetic and machine-made. The word plastic is also used to describe someone who is inauthentic.

Plastic, in other words, is the perfect product for a throwaway, consumer-driven culture that values convenience and affordability over almost everything else.

If all of that, coupled with the enormous heaps of trash piling up on our planet, weren’t unsettling enough, we also have cause to be concerned about the health effects of plastics.

The two components that seem to be the most worrisome for human health are bisphenol-A (BPA) and additives called phthalates, or “plasticizers.”

BPA, which is also found in the resin lining of many food and beverage cans, mimics the hormone estrogen (in fact, the substance was conceived in 1891 as a synthetic form of estrogen) and has been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There is also concern that BPA may be an endocrine disruptor, which can cause the early onset of sexual maturation (a suspected risk factor for breast cancer) and is most harmful in the early stages of development when, for example, many babies drink from bottles. The FDA, which approved polycarbonate as a food additive in the 1960s, now advises that there is some cause for concern regarding the effect of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and children.

Phthalates, a group of chemicals used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic soft, flexible, and clear, can be found in shower curtains, vinyl flooring, toys (think of teething rings), perfumes, and cosmetics. Phthalates are thought to be endocrine disruptors and are especially of concern with respect to children’s vulnerable, rapidly evolving development and high consumption of food and drink relative to their weight.

The European Union and nine other countries have banned many phthalates from toys, and China, which is responsible for producing about 85 percent of the world’s toys, now has two manufacturing systems: one for the markets that ban phthalates and another for the markets that do not, including the United States.

According to the Virginia-based nonprofit Center for Health, Environment and Justice, early studies suggest that a number of chemicals released by PVC, including dioxin, lead, and mercury, have been linked to or shown to cause learning and developmental disabilities. And as the annual 7 billion pounds of discarded PVC break down in landfills, toxic chemicals leach into groundwater.